Return to Sunnydale
by Angel's blue eyed girl
Summary: This fic takes place after AtS 'In the Dark& BtVS 'Harsh Light of Day' Buffy gave Angel the ring and now he uses it to come to her aid and way more... As always guys: My fics have a seriosu **SMUT WARNING** This is definitely an NC-17 B&A fic...ENJOY!
1. Chapter 1

**Return to Sunnydale**

**A fic by: Jen**

**Rating: First part…eh…a minor M. But…part 2 will be pure PWP… :) :) :)**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these characters…they are all Joss', oh how I hate that bitter little man for not giving me the big happy with B&A, but that's why I write fanfic, right?**

_****Okay: Now, a lot of you are going to say..WTF! She's writing another fic when she has SO many unfinished and…*sighs* I agree and apologize in advance for that. I DO have a lot of unfinished fics and I really want to finish ALL of them, but sadly, I had lost my drive and enthusiasm for Buffy and Angel—it was depressing and I didn't think I'd be inspired again. BUT then I had a chat with Vixangel and Roxi and they literally lit a fire in me again, reminding me WHY I love these two and how magnificently HOT DB is too! Lol! :P **_

_**Okay so after they inspired me…this little fic is what was born of that chat…**_

_**NOW—before you lynch me—this is already complete! *gasp* Yes, it's done so I will post the first part tonight and the second part either tomorrow or the next day…so please just be happy, (as I am) that musie is FINALLY lovin' up on some B& A again and don't hate me for needing to write this before I get back to my other fics…okay?**_

_**Anyhow, I love all you who support me and my fics…you are all so awesome! :) I hope you like this…**_

_**Hugs&kisses,**_

_**Jenna :) :) :)**_

**Part One: **

**Hello Again.**

Speeding along the highway, Angel restrained himself from flooring the pedal—he was in a hurry and even the sun shining brightly upon him didn't distract or deter him in his need to get to Sunnydale. Doyle had a vision of Buffy that sent Angel into a tailspin. The Irish half demon had seen Buffy in pain. Doyle said it felt like she was dying. Angel had come unglued at that point, demanding to know what else Doyle had seen. Unfortunately, Doyle had no idea whether her dying was metaphorically or physically speaking. It didn't matter either way. It was Buffy and the thought of her dying had driven Angel to put the 'Gem of Amarra' on and hightail it to Sunnydale. He was too worried to enjoy the sun shining down on him though. The only thing going through his mind was getting to Buffy and helping her.

Now as he drove, the wind whipping his hair, he barely noticed the changing of the sun as it began to go down, he briefly gazed at the ring on his finger. Why had she given him such a powerful gift? It boggled the mind, especially if what Spike said was true and she'd already moved on. If that was the case and she really didn't love him anymore—why would she want him to be virtually un-killable?

These were questions he needed answering. Unable to get control of his worry for her, Angel put the pedal to the metal, gunning the big engine on the Plymouth, speeding down the road to HER even as he was telling himself that Doyle's vision was the only reason he was going back. Just to check on her. Make sure she was safe. It had _**nothing**_ to with the fact that she'd slept with someone already or because he wanted to know if she still loved him. No. He wasn't jealous—he'd never even experienced the emotion before Buffy. And he refused to admit it was eating him up inside now. He would_** not**_ ask her if she was in love this 'new guy'. He was _**not**_ jealous. He repeated that mantra over and over in his head, but it didn't help. Every time he imagined Buffy in the arms of another man, he wanted to rip and tear something or someone apart.

'_Fuck-I am jealous…' _

He growled at that admission and pressed the gas pedal again sending the convertible up to over ninety mph. Angel barely noticed, nor did he care. It's not like he'd die in a car accident. His stomach tightened and he ached. He could almost feel her and as much as he'd tried to tell himself he was getting over her. It was a lie. He loved her now as much as he had the first day he'd laid eyes on her. More even, because now he knew what it was like to kiss her-touch her. He'd witnessed how brave and courageous she was.

The 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign came into view just as the sun was setting and for the first time since leaving L.A., Angel felt a nervous rush. If he had a heart beat it'd be pounding. He got off the highway and made a right, heading towards Sunnydale and Buffy…hoping she wouldn't just slam the door in his face and tell him to get lost.

*B/A*B/A*B/A**B/A*B/A*B/A*

Xander, Buffy, Willow and Oz were in Xander's basement room carving pumpkins for Halloween. Xander gazed at the huge pumpkin he'd carved and frowned, waving the knife he held at the jack-o-lantern. "I don't know," he said. "I was going for ferocious and scary, but it's coming out more dryly sardonic."

Willow gave him a sympathetic nod. "It does appear to be mocking you with its eye holes."

"The nose hole seems sad and full of self-loathing though," Oz quipped.

Xander turned the pumpkin around to show Buffy who was lying on his bed, looking glumly down at a bowl full of pumpkin insides. "What do you think, Buff?"

Buffy didn't look up. "I was just thinking about the life of a pumpkin," she said with a little pout, playing with the orange gooey pumpkin matter. "You grow up in the sun—happily entwined with others, then someone comes along, cuts you open and rips your guts out."

"Okay, and on that happy note, I've got a treat for tomorrow nights' second annual Halloween screening," Xander said, leaping to his feet. "Prepare to have your spines tingled, your gooses bumped by the terrifying—" He pulled out a video from his bag and his words ground to a halt as he read the title. "Fantasia." He made a face. "Fantasia! How did I get this?"

In his usual laid back style, Oz said, "Maybe it's because of all the crazy, horrific things we've seen, but hippos wearing tutus just doesn't seem to unnerve me the way they used to."

Xander shot him a glare. "Phantasm…It was supposed to be 'Phantasm. Stupid video store!" he exclaimed.

"I thought we were doing the alpha-delta thing tomorrow night," Willow said, ignoring Xander's tantrum.

That got Xander's attention. "What thing?"

Buffy stood up to leave. "Sorry, guys, but I'm gonna get going…"

"Now?" Xander interjected. "But the night's still..." He looked down at his watch, "okay, so it's a little mature, but still…"

"I'm sleepy," Buffy said with a small sigh. "You guys have fun."

Willow watched her friend with a sad look. It was obvious Buffy was still feeling blue. "You want me to come with?" she offered.

Buffy shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said and left.

"Sad Buffy," Xander said, watching her go with a frown.

Willow's brows drew down too. "And she didn't even touch her pumpkin," she said, her eyes going to the un-carved pumpkin. "Look at it—it's a freak with no face."

"She's still suffering from her post-Parker depression," Oz said softly.

Xander made a face. "Bailing on the Buff. What a jerk. Does anyone else wanna smack that guy?"

All three of them raised their hands. All of them in agreement that Parker needed to get the crap beat out of him for what he did to Buffy.

*B/A*B/A*B/A**B/A*B/A*B/A*

Angel had parked the Plymouth on the street, deciding to walk-it just felt right. He turned a corner; saw the movie theatre where he and Buffy had seen that risqué movie. He swallowed hard. He had been so sure they'd make it then. As he stood there lost in old memories, Buffy came down the street. Angel noticed she looked sad, dejected and he stood there a bit too long. She glanced up and he barely avoiding her seeing him as he ducked around the corner. It was obvious her mind was elsewhere as a demon jumped out at her. Angel almost left his hiding spot, but Buffy recovered quickly. Lightning fast, she punched the demon, knocking it on its ass. He was glad he hadn't rushed out to help her when the 'demon' pulled his mask off. It was just a kid.

"Jeez lady-that hurt!" the guy exclaimed, glaring at Buffy. "What the hells' wrong with you?" he snapped before storming off.

Buffy watched him go with a sad little frown marring her beautiful face. "That's what I want to know," she sighed. Angel's un-dead heart ached at those words.

Buffy turned towards Sunny-Rest cemetery to finish up her patrol when a tingle in her belly made her stop. Goosebumps broke out on her skin and she felt a zap of awareness that only came when Angel was around. She turned in a circle, looking for a dark shape or shadow lurking somewhere. "Angel…?" she called out, waiting, unable to breathe, but he didn't appear. Her breath came out in a *whoosh* and she shook her head at her own foolishness. '_Of course he's not here,_ _Buffy. He's in L.A., remember? He left you so you could have a better life…' _Buffy gave a small bitter laugh and started walking again. "Some life, Angel. Thanks for nothing," she muttered out loud, kicking a small rock across the street.

Behind a tree, skulking in the shadows, Angel flinched at her words and the brittle sound of that laugh. Buffy sounded so…angry, defeated even. He peeked around the large trunk of the tree again and winced at her expression. She looked as lost as she sounded.

As she meandered down the street Buffy felt that tingle again. It raced up her spine like tiny electric shocks. She paused at the street that led to the park and Sunny-Rest. She froze as every hair on the back of her neck prickled. Only Angel had ever made her feel like this. He _was_ here, she was sure of it. "Angel," she called again, looking around for his broad shouldered form. "I know you're here…"

He stepped out of the shadows and into the faint light from a street lamp. The yellowish-orange light gave him an ethereal appearance

Gaping at him, Buffy's whole body trembled in awareness. "Angel…"

"Buffy," he returned, carrying on their habit of simply saying each others' name—strange how a world of emotions came through loud and clear in that moment.

Hearing that voice, so close-right here, her knees wobbled and she grabbed hold of the rough brick of the building next to her for support. "Oh-my-God," she whispered, surprised she could speak considering her heart felt like it was lodged in her throat, choking her.

Angel raced over to her; ready to take hold of her should she fall. Buffy batted his hands away. "No!" she fairly shouted. "Don't touch me!" She held up a hand, warding him off as she backed away from him, her face pale and her breathing erratic. "What are you doing here?"

He ran a hand through his spiky, messy hair. "I—" He paused and frowned. "I wanted to ask you why you gave me this," he said, holding up his right hand, flashing the 'Gem of Amara'.

Buffy's shoulders slumped a little. "Oh," she said. _'He wasn't there for her. How stupid to think he might have changed his mind.' _Hiding her disappointment, she sighed and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, attempting to downplay how much he flustered her. "Because I knew you'd keep it safe," she replied evenly.

"How do you have so much faith in me, when I don't?"

"I know the kind of man you are. You would rather be staked than abuse the ring."

"I'm not a man…" he whispered, stepping closer to her.

Buffy's heart thundered in her ears becoming a loud thump-thump-thump that echoed in her head the closer he came. "Yes, you are and a good one too. You just won't let yourself believe it, but I've seen the good in you. I always have."

Angel reached out and cupped her cheek. "Why, after everything I've put you through?"

Buffy knew she should push him away, but it felt so good to have him touch her again. She closed her eyes, sighing in pleasure as she rubbed her cheek against his calloused palm. Realizing what she was doing, Buffy reluctantly moved away from him, breaking the contact between them. "I don't know," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just do."

The conversation was getting too intense and the wall she'd built around her heart was crumbling fast. She couldn't let him break through her defenses-he'd only hurt her again. In a heartbeat an invisible barrier came up as she retreated from him both physically and mentally. She kept her voice neutral and calm as she asked, "So how long are you staying?"

He hesitated. "I'm not sure," he finally answered.

Buffy gave another short laugh that held absolutely no humor whatsoever. "You don't know," she echoed. "So what is this, a wham-bam-break-Buffy's-heart again-kind-a visit?"

Angel visibly flinched at the bitterness in her voice. "No," he assured her. "I didn't come here to hurt you…I'm here to protect you."

"That's great," she said sarcastically. She crossed her arms. "Care to share what you're protecting me from because the way I se it the only thing hurting me right now is you!"

"Buffy…" he said, reaching out to touch her.

"Save it! Just go home, Angel. I don't want or need your help!" She spun on her heel and left him standing there as she headed off towards Sunny-Rest.

Using his vampire speed, Angel bolted after her. Buffy gasped when he was suddenly right in front of her, blocking her path. "Buffy wait—please listen to me."

"So," she said, raising a brow and glaring up at him as all the pain and anger he'd put her through seemed to grow and fester inside her until Buffy felt like she was going to choke on her rage. "Are we using our super-powers now? Well, I have a few of my own!" she spat before shoving him—hard. Angel flew backwards and smashed into a metal post-office box, bending it and nearly uprooting it from its cemented position.

He leaped to his feet, brushing himself off. He scowled at her. "Okay, that hurt." When she took a menacing step forward, Angel held up his hands in a placating manner. "I didn't come here to fight. I just want to talk with you."

Buffy put her hands on her hips. "Well maybe I want a fight! Maybe I want to hurt you like you hurt me! Did you stop to think about that-Mr. love-em and leave-em!"

He growled as he stalked back to where she stood. He towered over her. "It wasn't like that and you know it," he bit out.

Her chin raised a notch and she craned her neck so she met his angry eyes with a glare of her own. "Do I?" she asked, raising a brow. "According to you, I wasn't worth sticking around for, so excuse me if I took that literally!"

His shoulders slumped as her pain radiated off her, hitting him from all sides. "Fine, if breaking my face will make you feel better…" He let his hands hang loosely at his sides. "Go ahead."

Surprising both of them, Buffy hauled off and slugged him right in the jaw. Angel's face whipped to the side and his hand automatically went to his chin, working it to see if she'd broken it.

"Feel better?" he asked softly.

"Not yet…" Buffy snapped and kicked him in the stomach, sending him sailing across the street.

Getting to his feet, Angel backed away from her, shaking his head. She was far too angry for him to have a rational conversation with her. He shouldn't have come, he saw that now. "This was a bad idea. I didn't want to hurt you. I'm sorry…"

Before Buffy could even reply he was gone. She stomped her foot and let out a little scream. "I hate it when he does that. Goes all disappearance-guy!" She took two steps before his reappearance hit her. Her legs buckled and she fell against a bus stop. She crawled up on the bench and tucked her legs to her chest and let the tears come. Her small frame was wracked with sobs for several minutes before she drew a deep, shuddering breath and wiped her tears away. She forced herself to become calm. He wasn't going to break her-not this time. "I've cried enough for you, Angel," she said out loud, picking herself up and getting to her feet. "No more."

A little while later she entered the cemetery. She wasn't so sad anymore—she was more along the lines of spitting mad. _How dare he come back into my town after he abandoned me!_ She stomped across the grass, looking for anything to take this rage out on_. What makes him think I'd even want his help? Did he believe I'd just fall into his arms and forgive and forget? Sooo__** not**__ gonna happen!_ She really needed to blow off some steam and her eyes eagerly scanned the cemetery looking for something to hit. Within a few minutes two newbie vampires jumped out at her from behind a large headstone. They circled her, trying to get behind her.

Buffy gave them both a feral smile and waved them on. "Come and get it, boys," she quipped. "I've had a really bad night. We can do this the hard way, or…well, there's really only the hard way." The vamps growled at her baring their fangs. "You know, maybe some good old' fashioned violence is just what I need." She smirked. "Right now, it's even better than comfort food."

The vamps lunged at her simultaneously. Buffy was ready though. She met their charge, dodging the first vamps' fist before she planted her stake in his chest, dusting him in seconds. The other vampire paused, a shadow of fear crossed his face, but Buffy waved him on. "Oh c'mon, you're not gonna cry are you? I thought you vamps were bad-evil. If this is the best you got, then evil isn't even trying anymore." Enraged, the vampire rushed her. Buffy spun, landing a spinning hell kick that staggered him. She turned, backhanded him and then followed that up with a kick to the chest sending him sailing back several feet. Buffy leaped after him and landed on top, her knee in his stomach. In the blink of an eye, her stake was buried in his heart. She gave a satisfied smirk as he went *poof*.

Getting to her feet, she dusted off her jeans and spun in a slow circle, scanning the surrounding area for more vamps or a demon or two to fight. "Well, that wasn't very satisfying." Her blood was still boiling and a part of her wished Angel was there so she could take all this aggression and aim it at her real target. She turned round and called out, "Any other takers?" She waited, tense and anxious, "Fresh Slayer blood here…" she sing-songed. "Come and get it…"

She sighed. There wasn't a peep to be heard, the only sound in the cemetery was the chirping of crickets. She put her stake in her pocket and headed for home not at all surprised that she didn't see another vamp for the rest of the evening. Word must have gotten out that the Slayer was out for blood and anything that crossed her path was as good as dead.

*B/A*B/A*B/A**B/A*B/A*B/A*

The next day, Willow and Buffy were walking into the cafeteria, chatting as usual.

"I've got the basics down—levitation, charms, glamour's, but I just feel like I've hit a plateau Wicca-wise."

"What's the next level?" Buffy asked, grabbing a tray and putting a yogurt on it as they moved down the line.

Willow grinned, adding some fruit to her tray. "Transmutation, conjuring—bringing forth something from nothing." She frowned. "Actually it gets a little scary being that close to the primal forces."

"Well, no one's pushing." Buffy replied. "You know, if it's too much-don't do it."

"Don't do it? What kind of encouragement is _that_?"

Buffy made a face. "Oh, this is an 'encouragement' talk? I thought it was 'share my pain'."

Willow smiled, but then her smile faded. They reached the end of the line and Willow turned to Buffy. "Speaking of pain…I don't want to be the rain on your parade, but what are you going to do about Angel? He _is_ still Angel right?"

"Oh yeah," she replied. "He's definitely still Angel, complete with the heart-ache and tears," Buffy replied with a sigh before it dawned on her what Willow was implying. "Wait a minute. Why would you ask that?" Her brow was up to her hairline. "Do you think he's getting the 'big-happy' with someone else?"

Willow fumbled to explain. "No, Buffy, I don't think anyone can make Angel as happy as you do, but that's the problem right? You and Angel—perfect happiness—equals bad."

Buffy was about to answer when she heard laughter coming from across the cafeteria. There sat Parker with a girl next to him and a few other people. They all looked like they were enjoying themselves. Buffy felt sick to her stomach that she'd fallen for his lines. She set her tray down with a thud. "You know…I, umm…I forgot…to be hungry," she said and made a bee-line for the door.

Willow ran after her. "Wait, Buffy…" She caught up with the blonde Slayer in the hallway. "Hey, don't let jerky Parker chase you away."

"He didn't," Buffy said. "It's just everything. I'm all trauma-girl with Angel showing up…" Her eyes watered, but Buffy refused to cry. "It's thrown me, Wills, and I don't want to deal with any of it right now. I can't. I'm taking a holiday from dealing." She waved a hand. "Happily vacationing in the land of not coping."

Willow nodded her head in sympathy. "You know what? I bet you'll feel better at the party tonight. Maybe you'll even meet someone."

"Willow." Buffy gave her friend an exasperated look. "I don't want to meet someone. I've reached my quota on someones', trust me." Buffy gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, I think I'm gonna have to patrol anyway."

"Tonight? But – it's Halloween!" Willow complained.

"I'll double check with Giles, but I'm sure he's going to think I should be on active Slayer duty. He doesn't care about Halloween."

"Well, you need to get out and take your mind off everything." Willow's eyes widened suddenly. "Have you told Giles that Angel is here?"

Buffy scrunched up her nose. "Not yet," she admitted. "Angels' tried to call, but I'm ignoring him. He's here to protect me—I'm thinking he can do that without any meaningful conversation between us."

"But you need to tell Giles," Willow reiterated.

"I was kind-a hoping I wouldn't have to have to have the 'Angel' conversation with Giles."

"But if he's is calling you—he's going to look for you and not to state the obvious, but he's kind of hard to hide."

Buffy gave a breezy roll of her eyes. "I doubt he'll stick around long. You know Angel—he shows up all cryptic-guy then disappears just as fast." She shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but there was pain in her eyes that she was unable to hide.

Willow placed a hand on Buffy's arm. "I'm sorry, Buffy."

Buffy blew it off. "Don't be. I'll deal with the pain and misery that comes along with Angel…" She paused and worried her bottom lip. "Eventually," she added softly.

"You will, Buffy," Willow chirped, eager to make her friend feel better.

She straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin, she nodded with determination. "Right, I will. I've survived it once. I can do it again."

"But that doesn't mean you can't have fun. Come to the party tonight, it'll be good for you to get out."

"I do get out," Buffy said. "I um…get out every night…" She fidgeted. "You know patrolling and all that."

"Hunting vampires is not a social event, Buffy. You need to take some time and let your hair down. Have some fun and not worry about—you know who."

Giving in, Buffy rolled her eyes. "Fine, if I'm not patrolling…I'll be there, but there will no hair letting. If I come I'll probably be the party pooper, you know that, right?"

"Poop the party all you want, just be there."

Buffy grinned. "Fine, I will. Happy?"

"Def…okay I'll talk to you later," Willow replied with a wide grin and the two girls went there separate ways at that point.

*B/A*B/A*B/A**B/A*B/A*B/A*

Angel knocked on Giles' door. He really hadn't wanted the ex-watcher to know he was here, but since Buffy wouldn't answer his calls or talk to him, he really had no choice.

Giles answered the door. "Happy Hallow…" his voice trailed off when he saw Angel standing there. "Angel! Well, this _is_ a surprise. What are you doing here?"

Angel's eyes widened at Giles' outfit and he couldn't help but stare at the British man. After a few seconds of silence, Angel scratched his head and asked, "Why do you have a lamp shade on your head?"

"It's a sombrero-_not _a lamp shade!"

"It has tassels…it looks like a lamp shade."

Giles scowled. "Let's get back to why you're here, shall we?"

Angel fidgeted when Giles didn't invite him in. "I'm here to help Buffy. My friend had a vision of her—"

"A vision?" Giles interrupted. "That's rather vague. What kind of vision?" Suddenly it dawned on Giles that it was daytime and while his townhouse was located under a patio and shaded, Angel had to have been in direct sunlight to get here, yet he wasn't on fire or smoking at all. He glanced down at the vampires' hand. "You're wearing the ring," he said, his voice clipped.

Angel repressed the urge to hang his head. He wasn't that guy anymore. He had a purpose now. "Not for any harm," he stated firmly. "I just wanted to see her—talk to her, make sure she was safe." Angel met Giles' eyes directly. "Can I come in?"

"Wearing that…" Giles waved a hand at the ring. "I don't think so."

Angel took the ring off and held it out to Giles. "Here take it. I never asked for it and I'm still not sure why she sent it to me." Giles looked at the ring as Angel went on. "She said it was because she knew I wouldn't abuse it, but I guess using it to follow her in the sunlight is abusing it, so you can have it back if it makes you feel more comfortable."

"You've already seen Buffy?" Giles asked instead. He dismissed the idea of taking the ring. Angel obviously didn't plan on taking advantage of it or he wouldn't be so quick to give it up. "Keep it," he said. "Buffy wanted you to have it."

Angel nodded and slipped the ring back on his finger. "I saw her last night."

"And how did she respond to your sudden return?"

"She uh…wasn't too happy to see me. Kicked me around a bit, actually," he admitted, "but after Doyle's vision, I can't leave until I know she's safe."

Giles sighed and stepped aside. "Come in then and tell me about this vision your friend had."

**B/A**B/A**B/A**B/A**B/A**

The Halloween party was in full swing when Buffy, Xander, Willow and Oz arrived.

One of the frat guys dressed as Freddy Krueger looked at Buffy's wicker basket and gave her a drunken leer. "What'sh in the bashket, Red?"

Wrinkling her nose at his beer breath, Buffy backed up a step or two. "Weapons," she deadpanned.

The guy threw back his head and laughed, he had no idea Buffy was telling the absolute truth.

Buffy and gang entered the house. Several guys and girls were doing shots at the counter that doubled as a bar. Buffy grimaced as a big husky blonde guy did a jello shot off some leggy brunette's super tight tummy. One guy in the living room had his lips wrapped around a tube attached to a funnel, chugging the beer that another guy was dumping into the funnel as the crowd surrounding them chanted, "Drink-drink-drink!"

Buffy made a face. "Okay if I ever wanted to do that, you'd stop me, right?" she said to Willow with a smile.

"Oh I'd be a virtual wall of refusal," Willow replied.

Someone put a beer in her hand. Buffy went to hand it back when she heard her name called. She turned to see Parker dressed as a pirate. He was signaling her to come over, but Buffy turned her back on him. The rose colored-Parker glasses had been ripped off last night when she was confronted with Angel. What she'd felt for Parker, the sadness at his rejection seemed trivial next to the very real devastation Angel caused. Buffy rolled her eyes when he called her name again. "He doesn't make a good pirate," she muttered and took a sip of the beer she had in her hand.

Willow whole heartedly agreed. "More like a rat. Want me to turn him into one?"

Buffy giggled, taking another sip of the foamy brew. "Noo…no rats Wills..." She peeked over her shoulder to see Parker chatting up another unwitting girl. Her smile was wry as she said, "but maybe a weasel wouldn't be so bad."

Oz grabbed Willow's hand and explained that the guitarist for the band playing the party hadn't shown up and the frat boys had asked Oz to take his place. His excitement was contagious and the gang moved as a whole towards the room where a small, temporary stage was set up.

Bopping to the music, Buffy smiled as Oz left the stage for a break. While the music wasn't 'Dingoes' Ate My Baby' it was catchy enough to groove to. Willow and Oz rejoined the group just as Buffy was halfway through her beer. The DJ put on some 80's 'Big-Hair-Band' and she winced as the music blared out of the massive speakers on the stage.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she yelled to Willow. The red head pointed to her ears and made a show that she hadn't heard a word that Buffy had said. Buffy pointed to herself and pointed to the bathroom. Willow grinned and nodded.

Buffy turned to go when another drunk frat boy tried propositioning her by telling her how 'good-to-eat she was'. Buffy simply rolled her eyes and manuevered herself around the big lunk-head. She'd already turned down several _wolves _who wanted to 'eat' her. This one _so_ didn't stand a chance! As if…eewww was the only thing she could think of as a reply.

She was heading for the bathroom when she heard a couple of girls loudly talking about the hot looking guy in the leather pants. That caught her attention and a memory of Angelus crossed her mind. He may have been evil, but lord have mercy, he could pull off leather pants like no one she'd ever seen—well except Angel of course.

The curvy blonde leaned over to her friend, sloshing her drink as she did so. "He's drool-worthy. Looks older too, like maybe twenty seven or twenty eight." Her smile was sexual as she said, "I bet he has tons of experience..."

The shorter, but very busty brunette giggled, sipping some fruity looking cocktail she nodded her head enthusiastically. "I'd let him teach me anything he wanted." She licked her lips exaggeratedly. "Did you see his ass—it's perfect." The blonde nodded and fervently agreed. The brunette gave her friend a wink and giggled, "I'm going to go over and talk to him."

The blonde grabbed her arm. "Wait, I want him too. Let's both go over—every guy wants a threesome, right?"

Totally curious now, Buffy looked around to see who was causing all the fuss. It didn't take her long to find him. Her eyes bugged and her jaw almost hit the floor. There, standing off to the side, looking like sex on legs, was Angel. He had a crowd of giggling, eager sorority girls around him, but his eyes were focused on her. Buffy felt her breath catch as their eyes locked across the room. Heat spread throughout her body as she let her eyes roam over his body. She licked her lips. _God the man really was gorgeous!_ He was dressed in black leather pants that hugged every inch of him, displaying parts of his anatomy Buffy had tried to forget. The deep maroon silk button down shirt he sported was unbuttoned midway down his pale, muscled chest. And to complete the dark, seductive look, he had on a pair of black steel toed boots that made him look just wicked enough to make a good girl go bad.

Buffy's mouth watered and she was excruciatingly aware of the dull, pulsing ache throbbing between her thighs. He wasn't evil, but wow! He was the perfect stereotype of the dark, dangerous and sinfully beautiful vampire. One girl reached out to run her hand down his chest. Buffy saw red, but Angel quickly removed her wandering hand and much to the gaggle of groupies' loud and vocal displeasure, he left them gawking after him as he made a bee-line straight for Buffy.

Her heart began to pound out a wildly fast rhythmic beat the closer he came. The gang came over and Willow, Xander and Oz all noticed Buffy's glazed expression, her accelerated breathing and the nervous anxious look of desire on her face.

"Buff, are you okay?" Xander asked, but then his eyes found Angel making his way over to them and he rolled his eyes. "Of course you're not-tall, dark and too close to evil is here." The leather pants made Xander fidget like a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. "Buffy, he looks evil again. Tell me he's not evil and he's not going to torture us all just for giggles," Xander griped.

"Buffy," Willow whispered, "I thought you said he was still Angel…"

"He is," Buffy said huskily, her eyes never leaving her broad shouldered, sexy vampire ex. "I think that's his idea of a costume…"

"What is he going for…psycho vampire?" Xander muttered. Buffy shot him a look and Xander made a face. "You may trust him, Buff, but sorry if I don't find him so amusing since we lived through Angelus and his idea of a good time."

At that moment Angel stopped in front of them. He'd heard Xander's comment, but didn't reply. In fact he ignored the gang all together. There was only one person in the room as far as he was concerned. His eyes focused entirely on Buffy. "Since you wouldn't answer my calls, I decided to come to you…" he said, by way of greeting. His eyes roamed her costume. "Red Riding Hood…hmmm, I wonder how many wolves you've met tonight."

Buffy laughed. "More than a few, but none of them has seen my basket." As soon as the words left her mouth Buffy turned bright red. "I mean…"

Angel's look was devilish as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "What does it take to get in your basket, Red?"

Buffy gave him a haughty look, lifting her chin. "More than just a pretty face and leather pants."

He chuckled huskily, flashing that devastatingly sensual lop-sided smile that made her think 'all-kinds-of-bad'. "So what's in your basket?" he asked, leaning in as he tried to take a peek. "I bet you don't have fruit in there…"

Buffy slapped his hand. "You'd be right, but I do have a stake," she told him, a smiling a bit too sweetly up at him.

His smile never faltered. "Point taken-no pun intended."

"_And,"_ Buffy said, "There's a reason I wasn't answering. Didn't it occur to you that I wasn't interested in anything you have to say. I thought the whole not answering would make that pretty clear."

"I'm kind-a hard headed," he replied, still giving her that sexy half smile. "And I happen to know you are very interested in some of the things I have to say to you, Buffy. Your lips may say one thing, but your heart and body tell another story."

Buffy's knees trembled. She'd never seen Angel so…openly seductive. His smile spread across his face and she nearly swooned. He had an amazing smile, she realized. It literally lit up his entire face. Buffy noticed all the envious glares several girls were giving her while their eyes ate up Angel. Jealousy reared its ugly head again and Buffy gave serious thought to knocking him over the head, dragging him off and having her way with him.

He gave a little growl as if he'd read her lusty thoughts. Buffy blushed, but Angel stepped closer, caressing her cheek with his knuckles. "Don't shut me out," he murmured too low for anyone but Buffy to hear. "We don't have to talk about anything serious. We can just…hang out." He was so close they were literally sharing the same space. "What could it hurt?" he asked, ignoring the horrified looks on the Scooby gangs' faces.

Buffy put some distance between them as she said, "You're just here to try and," She air quoted, "protect me." She poked at his chest with a furious finger. "I told you already, I don't need your help. I'm a big girl now. I can and will take care of myself!" With that she turned and flounced off leaving a stunned Scooby gang and a befuddled Angel behind.

Xander broke the tension filled moment. "Well…I'd say that went-um-not so well." Angel leveled his dark eyes upon the boy in warning and Xander twitched nervously. "Hey, what did you expect, Dead boy? You don't exactly scream trust me."

Angel shot him a glare. "I know I hurt her, but it's none of your business. Stay out of it." As a whole the Scoobies' gaped. _This_ Angel was new. Where was the quiet, guilt ridden vampire they all remembered? Angel went to leave, but stopped and shot Xander a warning look. "Oh, and quit calling me 'Dead-Boy'" he snapped.

Oz stepped forward, stopping Angel before he could leave. "Hey, you gotta understand where she's coming from, man. I'm not saying leave her alone completely, but she was starting to move on and then you show up. Give her some time."

Angel nodded. He liked the quiet musician. "I came here to protect her, but now that I'm here…I think what she needs is hope."

"Hope?" Xander said. "How new-age of you, Dead—" He bit off the rest of that sentence when Angel glowered at him and growled. "Sooo..dare I ask what you mean by hope? _Hopefully_ it's not you and her doing the deed kind of hope, because let me tell you I'm _hoping _that never happens."

"Xander…" Willow said, giving him the zip it sign.

Xander ignored her. "Hey, I'm sorry and not to be the bearer of bad news, but you _do _remember what happens when you and Buffy get with the mattress mambo, right? People die, Angel" He was warming up to his argument. He raised a brow at Angel as he said, "You weren't here, but let me tell you I could honestly live out the rest of my life _without_ meeting up with your evil alter ego again and I'm sure the Buffster feels the same!"

"I'm not going evil," Angel muttered.

Oz took that moment to hold out his hand. "Didn't get the chance yet, but it's good to see you, Angel." Angel grabbed his hand and shook it. Oz noticed the ring on Angel's middle finger. "So you did keep it."

Angel looked down at the 'Gem'. "Yeah, it was from her, and…" He smiled wistfully. "It will let me see her in the sunshine…"

Willow smiled. That was so totally sweet, but…she remembered she still had a bone to pick with him about how he bailed on Buffy. She marched up to him and poked him in the chest much like Buffy had done earlier. "You broke her heart—acted like a super-maxi jerk-person and if you think you're gonna come in and do it again. You got another thing comin' mister!"

"Yeah, what she said," Xander chimed in-adding his (unsolicited) two cents again.

This was one of the things Angel _didn't_ miss about Sunnydale. He told Willow, pointedly ignoring Xander, that he wasn't here to hurt Buffy. He leaned down and quietly told the witch he realized he still loved her. Willow beamed and gave him a thumbs up sign. Angel smiled, not that he needed their approval, but having Willow in his corner would make it easier to get Buffy to listen to him. He was about to head after his golden haired Slayer when he saw a somewhat tall, dark haired boy saunter up to her as if he owned her.

"Buffy," Parker said as he sidled up to her. "I'm glad you came…" The double entendre was obvious. To make it even worse, he wriggled his eyebrows at her and lewdly suggested a repeat performance of the other night.

Buffy blushed, glancing across the room to see how Angel was taking Parker talking to her. Her heart sped up when she saw the dangerous look in his eyes. She almost smiled. He was jealous. The thought was exciting.

"Buffy, want to dance or maybe we could blow this place and go somewhere, just me and you?" Parker said, breaking into her thoughts while slithering up next to her.

Buffy grimaced. How could she have ever let this creep touch her? His smarmy smile made her guts churn. She shook her head. "I don't think so—it wasn't exactly a 'knock-my-socks-off performance the first time. Why would I want a repeat?"

Across the room, a low growl rumbled in Angel's chest as he watched the boy grab Buffy's arm.

Willow turned to see what was making Angel all growly and when she saw Parker holding onto Buffy's arm as Buffy attempted to tug it back, her gaze whipped back to Angel, worried about what he'd do. He looked super angry and she held her breath-waiting for the explosion.

"Son of a bitch!" Angel suddenly snarled, causing most of the Scoobies to jump. Oz just raised a brow-if Angel was going to lose it, at least Buffy was here to keep it under control.

Willow swallowed nervously when Angel's eyes went a brilliant shade of gold and he cursed under his breath, obviously jealous and fuming.

Angel stared hard, murdering the boy with his eyes. He barely kept his fangs in check as he stared at them from across the room._ This had to be the little fucker she'd slept with. _He wanted to rip the boy's arms off and beat him with them.

Angel got even more tense when Buffy made to leave and the little asshole grabbed her arm and said something to her that made her cringe. Anger roiled inside Angel's gut. That was it. He started forward as another, deeper growl than the first erupted from his chest, his eyes were totally a shimmering gold and he looked absolutely murderous.

Panicking at the livid expression on Angel's face, the red head grabbed Xander, pointed at Angel and squeaked, "Um…I think this might be a time to say, uh-oh."

Ignoring the Scoobies, Angel started over to Buffy, jealous rage practically rolling off him in violent waves.

Willow grabbed his arm. "No, Angel-don't!" It was at that moment when Xander grabbed his arm too in a desperate attempt to stop the chaos that was about to ensue if Angel got his hands on Parker.

"Let me go," he snarled, shaking them off like a dog ridding his coat of fleas. He shot across the room, too fast for anyone to stop him.

Buffy was telling Parker to let her go when Angel just appeared by her side. She jumped. She hadn't even seen him coming and his sudden appearance startled her. "Angel!" she gasped; searching his face. His jaw was clenched and the anger radiating off him was palpable...and a little intimidating.

Buffy grabbed his forearm before he got hold of Parker. "You don't have to do this," she said, but the dark vampire wasn't listening.

Angel didn't answer but he pointedly took note of Parker's hand still gripping Buffy's arm. He gave the boy a sinister smile, dark eyes glittering with malice that was reminiscent of Angelus. He stared into the increasingly worried gaze of the boy who dared to touch his Buffy. "I'm only going to say this once…" He leaned close to Parker, his eyes flashing amber. "Take your hand off her or I'll remove it for you." Though softly spoken, there was no mistaking the threat in Angel's words.

Parker let go immediately. He glared at Buffy. "You never told me you had a jealous boyfriend!" he snapped as if this was all her fault.

Buffy's eyes widened. "Like you have room to talk!" she called after him. She turned to Angel. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Angel appeared far too pleased with the turn of events and it irritated her. She wanted to kick him in the shin or knock him across the room, both were inviting, but she didn't want the hassle of explaining how she floored such a large guy with one blow. "You're so not my—"

The rest of her sentence was cut off as Angel put his hand over her mouth. "For this party…I am," he stated. Buffy rounded on him, but he caught her and spun her back around so that her rear end was pressed tight against his groin, she wriggled, fighting to escape. It was Angel's groan that caused her to freeze as she felt the proof of his arousal butting against her from behind.

"Let me go, Angel," Buffy demanded, far too breathlessly for her piece of mind.

Angel gritted his teeth, this was the closest he'd been to her in months and it was like giving a junkie their fix. She was the sweetest of torments and he didn't want to release her. He nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent. "You deserve far better than that asshole…" he whispered into her ear. "Let that one go. He's nothing but a waste of your time."

Needing some space between her and his too tempting body, Buffy crossed her arms protectively over her chest and kept her distance. "Why are you here, Angel?" she asked. "Seriously, you've been gone all this time and now here you are…what do you want from me?"

Angel was at a loss. He looked stumped and his fidgeting proved the point. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "When I came to Sunnydale…I had a firm plan in mind, but ever since I saw you—touched you, my mission has become blurred. I'm really kind of winging it at this point." His eyes focused on Parker again. "And I really want to beat the shit out of him."

"Nooo…there won't be any beatings—not here and not tonight," Buffy said, pulling him out the back door and away from the party. He followed her as she led him around the house to a small patio. It was pretty much deserted since the party was in the house. Buffy let go of his hand and crossed her arm again. "Okay—talk," she demanded.

They were finally alone and all Angel wanted to do was kiss her senseless, but the memory of Parker putting his hands on her made his skin crawl and anger bubble up inside him. He paced, cursing under his breath for a minute before he finally stopped in front of her. Hands on his hips he leaned down into her face. "Okay, you want me to talk? Well how's this for conversation? Is that that guy, Parker, the guy you slept with?" Buffy didn't say a word, but her flush answered the question for her. Angel looked like he was ready to spit nails. "Christ Buffy, he's nothing but a boy, not to mention a total jack-ass!" he raged, grabbing her arms and shaking her.

Buffy yanked herself out of his grip. Spitting mad she hauled off and slapped him with enough force to make his ears ring into next week.

Angel's head whipped to the side with the force behind her blow. He recovered quickly and stepped right up to her, belly to belly, he invaded her space and glared down into her furious face. "Stop hitting me," he gritted out.

Buffy's chin jacked up a notch. "Well, don't you dare sit there and judge me!" she spat. "_You_ left _me_, remember?" Her breath came in jagged little pants and her eyes watered, furiously she wiped them away. "I thought he cared about me. I just wanted…" Suddenly her shoulders slumped and she looked lost, broken. "I wanted to be loved again…"

Angel's anger died a hasty death. "Buffy…" he reached for her.

She outmaneuvered his hand, sniffling, but maintaining a stoic front. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out into the night for several seconds before turning back and drilling him with angry green eyes. "I wanted to feel something besides the big fat emptiness that you left me with, Angel." She took a shuddering breath and continued, "If that bothers you…tough, you can just deal like I had to. You made this choice. Not me."

Her words—the anger and sorrow seeping from her very pores were his undoing. He snatched up her hand and jerked her to him. "Buffy…" he rasped, hugging her and rubbing her back. "I'm sorry…so sorry."

She wanted to pull away. Make him let her go, but she couldn't. His solid bulk felt heavenly and Buffy was tired of fighting it, with a sigh she gave in and let him hold her. It was comforting and she snuggled deeper into his embrace. She'd never felt safer than when she was in his arms. They stayed like that for several minutes until the longing that always bubbled between them, just under the surface, came roaring back to life, making them aware of how close they were.

"Buffy…"he said again and the way he said her name made her ache.

Seeing his intent, Buffy tried to hang on to her self control. "Angel…we can't."

"Just a kiss…" he muttered as his head swooped down. His mouth sought hers, but Buffy turned her head, evading his mouth so that his kisses landed on her cheek, and brow, anywhere and everywhere but her lips. _Angel kisses were far too devastating and she couldn't let him get to her-not again._ She might have succeeded had he _not_ turned his attention to her neck.

Buffy struggled to maintain her distance as he nibbled along her jugular until he came to her scar.

Angel paid special attention to tjhat spot. His mark. He swirled his tongue along it and rationally he understood he probably shouldn't feel so proud that she bore his bite and would forever, but irrationally he wanted to pound his chest and proclaim her as HIS.

Finding a happy medium, Angel licked and nibled at the mark, sucking the rough flesh into his mouth. She froze and trembled. Small sounds of pleasure burst from her lips. She put her hands to his chest, intending to push him away, but when he suckled her neck, Buffy whimpered and dug her fingers in his shirt, bringing him closer instead.

In that instant Angel realized how much she liked being bitten. Interesting. Redoubling his efforts, he made love to that spot with his tongue. Licking, sucking and nipping at it until she was like putty in his hands. He let out a soft purr when she shivered and goose-bumps raised all along her arms and neck.

"Let me in..." he said as he pulled her against him. She didn't fight and he whispered to her how much he'd missed her…how he never stopped loving her, how he dreamed of her.

Buffy's head tipped back allowing him better access. His words were everything she'd wanted from him and it melted her resolve like butter on a hot plate. "Damn you, Angel," But they both knew her defenses were crumbling like a house of cards. Buffy looped her arms around his neck and leaned up on her tip-toes to place a kiss on his jaw. "Just so you know—I'm still really pissed at you and the sucking on my neck thingy—_so_ not fair."

Angel brushed his lips against hers, savoring her unique and delicate taste. "In battle you use every weapon available and when it comes to you, I'll use every dirty little trick I know to get you to listen to me," he told her.

"Um…okay, not sure if that's really hot or kind-a creepy."

"I was aiming for sexy…" Angel replied, looking at her from under impossibly long lashes. He pulled at one of her braids. "These are cute, but I love your hair down," he said as he unraveled first one braid and then the other. Buffy moaned softly as his hands ran through her golden locks, massaging her scalp at the same time. "Beautiful," he whispered. His lip curled and he gave her that lop-sided smile that turned her knees to jelly. "I used to watch you sleep and ache to keep you with me forever. " He ran a hand down her cheek to her full lips. His thumb rubbed her pouty bottom lip gently. "You're still my girl, Buffy. I never stopped loving you," he admitted huskily.

That did it. Hearing him say that was like her fantasies come to life and Buffy embraced the carnal craving she had for this sexy vampire. She cupped his face and brought it down to hers. "Angel…I missed you…so much," she breathed, placing butterfly kisses across his cheeks, lips and along his jaw.

As much as he wanted her, he felt they still had some things to work out. "Buffy, maybe we should talk about—"

"Talk later-kiss now," she demanded, moving her tongue along his lips before kissing him fully on the mouth.

****Okay, guys...this was the plot-next is the porn! Please click that little blue button and tell the musie waht you think...she's such a review *bleep* but she feeds my inspiration so if she's fat and happy...I'm writing. :)**

**Thanks again...have a great day.**

**Jen :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Return to Sunnydale: Part Two.

Author: Jenna

Rating: Okay guys, this is a serious M-NC-17 rated fic. If you aren't old enough—please don't read…

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'd love to own Angel as you all know, but alas the bitter little troll Joss owns him and I only get to steal him and play with him before JW takes him away again! :(

Anyhow, I do use some of JW's dialogue in my fic to suit the story. Again this is done with no profit, just for fun.

Okay, WOW- you guys were totally on that last chappie. Whew. I'm so glad to see there is still such a love for B&A. They really are the perfect star-crossed lovers couple aren't they? You guys are all amazing. I promise to get out some new posts on my other fics now that I'm inspired again!

Okay, now…I got a PM asking me why I never write Spuffy! (yes, I'm serious) I won't mention you by name, but I'm going to say this real clear so that I never get another question like this…I can say quite honestly that I will never-ever-not even upon threat of evisceration-write a Spuffy fic. No way-never unh-uh-ain't gonna happen!

Hey different strokes and all that, and I know (sigh) there are some feverish Spuffy lovers out there, but let me ask you..._**IF**_ (gag) Spuffy was so hot, awesome and more intense that B/A—then why is it that THE ONLY couple EVER mentioned in the Whedon-verse ala E! EW, TV-Guide, Award shows-etc… is Buffy & Angel? Huh? Huh? Answer me that, can ya? Nope. Thought so! You know why? It's because Spike (JM) was an Angel-wanna-be-who didn't have the charisma Angel (DB) had! So sorry, but it's the truth. Joss thought he could make lightning strike twice and while James Marsters was brilliant as Spike he was NOT Angel…never could be and Joss was stupid to even try it. Spike and Buffy were so much better when he made her gag! It was funny and Spike was still Spike then after they *gave* him his soul—he was just a pathetic carbon-copy of Angel, but without, as I said before, the broody charisma of David Boreanaz...It was just sad and nauseating too. Joss quickly realized it as "Spuffy" only lasted about 6-7 episodes. I think that, more than anything, says it all…

Okay…better stop. I know, I know...Jen's getting on a tangent. lol. :) I'll stop now.

Anyhow, I will **never** write a Spuffy fic and I definitely DO NOT ship that pairing. Eeeew!

Now, on with the show… :) :) :)

****Part two****

**Where we left off:**

She cupped his face and brought it down to hers. "Angel…I missed you…so much," she breathed, placing butterfly kisses across his cheeks, lips and along his jaw.

As much as he wanted her, he felt they still had some things to work out. "Buffy, maybe we should talk about—"

"Talk later-kiss now," she demanded, moving her tongue along his lips before kissing him fully on the mouth.

**Part Two:**

Angel tried, really tried to resist, but her tongue was his undoing. His eyes closed and he opened to her, a rumbling purr in his chest as he returned her kiss. His hands wandered down her back to grip her hips and pulled, bringing her flush against the bulge in his leather pants. Angel gave her a mind melting smooch designed to show her every bit of his two hundred plus years of experience. Her little red cape fell to the ground in a heap, but neither noticed, nor cared as his tongue swept into her mouth, sensually swirling and dancing with hers. His chest vibrated with a constant growl/purr as he reacquainted himself with the succulent taste that was all Buffy. Angel had forgotten how sweet she was. The kiss deepened, his tongue stroked hers, sending shock waves through their libidos, igniting the hunger that burned inside them. Angel's face shifted when her fingers drifted down his belly and brazenly cupped his package. She fondled the hard ridge of his erection in firm strokes, basking in his animalistic grunts and growls.

"Oh shit!" he gasped, when she squeezed him through the butter soft leather of his pants. He jerked his head up, fangs flashing. He snarled. He shuddered and her hand continued to move faster and faster, sliding along the outside of the leather-very effectively jacking him off. He clutched her hair in an almost painful grip. "Buffy-you have to..." His words cut off in a gutteral moan when she bit his neck. "Oh fuck!" He was so close, his knees shook. Angel was afraid he was going to embarrass himself and come in his pants like an adolescent with his first woman. That would never do—his ego wouldn't allow it. He grabbed her hand. "Buffy-stop!"

Buffy looked up at him under her lashes. It had been too long, she wasn't to be deterred. "No," she replied and squeezed him again, kissing him hungrily. She purposely nicked herself on a razor sharp fang, both of them moaning as the mingling of her blood added a primal edge to their kiss. And as expected, it was her blood sent him over the edge. With a soft roar, he attacked her mouth, dominating her, seducing her to give him more. He sucked on her tongue, nursing her wound, savoring her as one might enjoy fine wine. Every delicious drop sent lightning bolts of electric tingles throughout every nerve in his body, down into his belly and straight to his groin.

"Fuck!" he gasped, growling. He gulped deep lungfulls of oxygen-he didn't need it, but it calmed him. Within seconds his face returned to his handsome human guise. Angel wrapped a hand behind her neck and tilted her head so he could see her passion glazed expression. She was incomparable. His own private addiction. Her full lips were swollen, even more pouty than usual, and a tiny smear of blood resided at the corner of her plump bottom lip. Slowly, watching her, Angel leaned down and lapped at the tiny drop, groaning when her flavor hit his palate again. "You taste exquisite," he murmured, taking her mouth again in a toe curling kiss.

*B/A**xx fade out xx**B/A*

**Inside the party:**

Oz and the party band were on stage, Willow was right at the front of the make-shift stage, bopping to the music and staring at Oz with loving eyes. Xander; feeling distinctly like the fifth wheel since Dead Boy had showed up and now Buffy had a date too, wandered around through the crowd. He spotted a pretty brunette looking at a cabinet of trophies. He walked over to stand next to her. He leaned forward and read the trophy inscription "Lowell house. 1962."

The girl; Julie smiled. "Yep, that's what it says."

Xander flushed. "I was, Um, just, you know, impressing you with my knowledge of reading."

Julie laughed, "Wow and you didn't even have to sound anything out."

"You should see me add short columns of small numbers." The girl laughed and just then Xander noticed a girl in a bunny costume walking through the crowd he was about to make some wise-assed comment when he realized it was Anya in that costume. "Um excuse me…" Xander said to the girl and headed over to Anya. "What are you doing here?" he asked her.

Anya gave him a disgruntled look. "You haven't called. Not once."

"You said you were over me," he replied.

"And you just accepted that? I've been told girls say that because they want the man to chase them."

"That's the funny thing about guys, we tend to hear the actual words people say and accept them at face value."

Anya rolled her eyes. "And that's why men are stupid."

Oz and Willow joined them just then. "Did I hear something about men being stupid?" Oz quipped, "cause on behalf of all mankind I'd like to at least offer a defense."

"I meant Xander is stupid," Anya replied.

Oz grinned, "Oh, well in that case…"

Xander gave them both the 'stink-eye', but before he could say anything, Willow asked, "Hey has anyone seen Buffy or Angel?"

The gang as a whole looked at each other with worried expressions.

**B/A**xx B/A** xx*xx B/A**xx*B/A**

Out side, Buffy and Angel were locked in a passionate embrace. Angel's shirt was torn, hanging open and Buffy's hands eagerly roamed the pale muscles she found there. Angel wasn't idle either, one of his hands was under her dress, cupping her rear while the other was buried in her hair, angling her head so he could slant his mouth over hers for deeper kissing. Soft moans and growls of pleasure escaped them both as they groped each other, feverishly making out like a couple of teenagers.

His lips trailed down her throat, nibbling wetly on the place where her pulse was pounding like a jack-hammer. "Mmmm, Angel…so good," she whimpered, reveling in the first (real) kissage she'd gotten from Angel in a long, long time. His last year in Sunnydale had been tepid compared to the hot passion they'd shared before.

He purred roughly in reply, the hand in her hair moved down, slipping under the bodice of her dress to palm one perky breast. He found the hardened tip of her lace covered nipple and rolled in between his fingers before giving it a little pinch. Buffy's sharp exclamation of pleasure rang out in the quiet of the night and she dragged his lips back to hers, kissing him ferociously.

"Easy love," Angel soothed. She was getting rough and while he loved that, he wanted to savor the moment too. He slid a hand around her hip and down her thigh, Buffy wrapped that leg around him as he gripped the hem of her baby-doll dress, raising it and baring her tanned and toned legs for his viewing pleasure.

"Yesss…" Buffy moaned, head falling back when his hand moved between her thighs and tantalized her with gentle touches. His lips moved down her throat again to unerringly find her scar—the mark that announced she belonged to him. "Angel!" she cried, leaping onto him to wrap her other leg around his hip. Angel caught her easily, never letting up on his neck nibbling. Buffy rubbed against him, the hard ridge of his erection pressed against her center, the friction causing a delicious ache. Angel pulled her down on the bulge in his pants, grinding against her as he sucked the raised bit of flesh into his mouth. He nursed it, suckling hard enough to leave a bruise before biting down with blunt teeth. Buffy's body tightened then jerked as if she'd been electrocuted. Her eyes fluttered and she whimpered, clutching his shoulders and chanting his name as she shattered in a quick, but explosive climax.

Watching her come from him simply loving on his mark gave Angel a tremendous amount of satisfaction. She was his. A radiant beauty, who was far too good for him, but who, by some miracle, loved him. "I want you…need you," he gritted out, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he held himself back.

"I want you too, Angel…only you."

He remembered the boy inside and maybe it was cruel, but the devil in him wanted to hear her tell him that he was the only one who made her feel like this. "Did Parker make you explode like that?" he asked, grinding her against his erection. Buffy whined in agonized pleasure and Angel maneuvered a hand between them to press his fingers against her, rubbing the wet spot on her panties relentlessly driving her back to the edge. "Did he make you scream his name, Buffy?"

She was still trying to catch her breath, yet she was heading fast towards another orgasm. Breathless, she asked, "Angel…please—do we have to talk about this now?"

He was being a possessive bastard, but he needed to hear her say it. "You had him in your body, Buffy-I want to know if you enjoyed him as much as you do me," he purred, pulling the lace of her panties aside so he could access her naked flesh. He slid a finger inside her. "Answer the question, baby and I'll make you come so hard you'll forget all about what's his face."

Frantic to climax, yet furious at him for this sexual blackmail, Buffy glared at him, but answered anyhow. "No! He—I—it wasn't like this. No one but you makes me go all mindless-crazy-girl…satisfied?" she snapped, her breathing ragged and heavy.

Angel's growl was deep, primitive and triumphant, yet he placed an infinitely tender kiss on her brow. "Yes, thank you…I promise I'll make that up to you," he said, his voice a silky purr. Immediately he went to work on doing just that. He allowed one finger to dance up and down the plump folds of her mound, protected only by a thin, wet layer of silk. He rubbed her through her panties, finding her clit and stroking it gently. "You're so wet…so swollen..." His hot breath against the delicate shell of her ear made Buffy tremble. He nipped at the fleshy lobe there. "I want to rub myself all over you, Buffy. I want to be a part of you, in you…fucking you until you beg me to stop."

His dirty words whispered so hotly into her ear made her flush with embarrassment, even as a flood of moisture soaked her panties even more. Angel's deep growl told her he felt it and appreciated it too. He nibbled at her scar again as his fingers continued to rub and tease her through her panties.

She pressed his mouth to her, arching her neck in invitation. "Please!"

Angel couldn't control his reaction and his fangs popped. His face morphed into his vampire visage and he scraped his sharp teeth along the vein that pulsed in her neck. He shuddered as his erection twitched, pulsing against the zipper that kept it contained. Realizing how close he was to taking what she offered, Angel distracted her with his expert hands working her body. He plunged his middle finger inside her slick opening while simultaneously pulling and rolling her pulsing nub between his fingers. It was enough. Buffy gasped, eyes widening as she was suddenly hit with another powerful little orgasm. As she rode out her pleasure, he forced himself to pull away from her and hold her at arms' length.

Trembling in the aftershocks of her climax, Buffy tried to pull his face to her neck. "Do it…" she begged, whining in her need.

His hands tightened on her upper arms and Angel fought the demon in him that wanted nothing more than to fuck and feed on her. "Buffy…I can't…" he breathed, even as his mouth watered and his fangs actually ached with the need to bite her.

Her luminous green eyes rose to meet his and she stroked his jaw lovingly. "Yes, you can…I trust you." Her thumb ran along his sensual lower lip and she paused, "Unless…" She worried her bottom lip. "Will…um…biting me, be perfect for you?" The look of desire on her face was quickly becoming nervous and anxious. "I mean, because…if it is then you're right we—"

"Buffy," he interrupted, ending her babbling. "Drinking from you would be heavenly, but it's not the blood or an orgasm that makes it…" he made a face at the term, "'_perfect-happiness'_. I honestly don't know if I can even have that anymore…"

"Why?" she asked, brows scrunching and it was obvious she was both hurt _and_ happy about that statement.

He sighed, running his hand along her hair. "Because, any time I'm with you…there's always that fear of letting go—of letting Angelus out again. It hangs over me like the blade of a guillotine."

"But that first night—you knew Angelus was still there—inside you, right?"

"Yeah, but we didn't know about the curse then," he reminded her. "Plus, that night had a lot of extenuating circumstances if you remember?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, it was pretty much a roller-coaster ride of share-my-pain," she quipped, but there was no humor there.

His face was somber as he agreed. "I was going to leave and that had us both…upset..."

"And then Spike and Dru captured us. We almost died," she whispered.

"I know," he said softly. "I remember every second. That night is burned in my brain." His voice lowered a notch, until it was a rough whisper. "It was raining…and by the time we got back to my apartment…you were trembling..."

Buffy swallowed hard. He sounded very sensual. "You offered me a change of clothes..."

He nodded and stepped closer to her again, hovering over her his lips near her ear. "Yes, and for the first time, we admitted we loved each other..." He pushed her hair aside to place a wet kiss on her collarbone.

Buffy's head tipped back and a low moan sounded from her throat. "I did—do love you," she breathlessly admitted, looping her arms around his neck.

He laved her jugular. "But you gifted me with your innocence that night…" He lifted his head and his dark eyes glittered, he smiled, his fingers trailing up and down her arms. "It was magical—a once in a lifetime moment, Buffy."

Buffy blinked back tears. Her throat was closed so tight not even a whimper could emerge. Angel cupped her cheek and shook his head as he said, "I don't think we could ever re-create that night because so many things have changed since then."

She went over that information, it made sense. Not only did it make sense it was wonderful news and her smile flashed brilliantly for a moment until a niggling thought hit her and made her brows lower. She took a step back and crossed her arms. "So…wait a sec…are you saying…we could've been together this _whole_ time without that damned 'perfect-friggin-happiness' clause blowing up in our faces?" Her voice had raised and now steam was practically blowing out her ears.

Angel placated her quickly by pulling her close again. "No, I wasn't saying that…what I'm saying is that we've changed in the last two years, Buffy. I'm not so naïve as to think I can just have you…" He looked so sad; tears welled in Buffy's eyes again. "Now I realize the consequences of being in love with you and I can't ever let myself go like that again," he said.

She pulled away, wrapped her arms around her middle and turned her back on him. "Great-this is just what I needed," she groused, "another heart-breaking Angel-Buffy-moment. Thanks, now I'm going to go vent some hormonal angst and kill something," she bit out and went to leave.

He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. "Wait! Buffy just because I can't lose myself in you anymore, doesn't mean I can't love you…"

"Okay, for those of us in the remedial class, can you do the whole explain-y thing? Cause where I'm sitting it sounds like you're saying we can have a part-time relationship…" She shook her head, lip jutting out in a pout, "And maybe you've gone all 'forgetful-guy'—but we tried that…last year, remember?" She paused and a sorrowful expression crossed her face. "You still left."

"No, last year we tried a relationship with no passion. Not the same," he said.

"O—kay, and what's changed?"

"I have. I'm not the same. I have a purpose now, Buffy. A mission, like you do."

"And that mission will keep you from having perfect happiness with me?" Buffy asked with a confused and somewhat hurt expression on her face.

He smiled. "No, but someone recently told me that 99.99 percent of the best relationships in the recorded history of the world have had to make do with acceptable happiness." He shrugged, "I've actually had a moment of 'perfect happiness' it's not likely to repeat itself—and like I said, every time I'm with you the threat of Angelus is like a knife to my throat—kind of takes away from the perfect part of the happiness."

Buffy absorbed that and slowly a small smile quirked her lips upward. "So you think that will kind-a X-out the curse?" He nodded and with a cry she leaped into his arms, hugging him and wrapping her legs around his waist. "You so better not be playing with me, Angel, cause I'll so stake you if you are!" she said, peppering his face with kisses.

Angel laughed and held her to him. He hadn't planned on getting back together with Buffy, but he could not say he wasn't ecstatic at this turn of events. He also couldn't say what the future would hold for them, but Buffy was and always would be, the one girl in the world who made his undead heart go-'pitter-pat'!

They started to kiss again and Buffy pushe dhis shirt off his shoulders, eager to touch all of him, but Angel pulled back. "Is there somewhere we can go where it's a little more…um…private?"

Buffy nodded and grabbed his hand. "My dorm's just across the campus," she said, gripping his hand and dragging him after her like she was afraid if she let him go he'd disappear. "Do we need to take precautions...? I mean like a curse-condom or something...?"

"Curse condom?" He frowned. "That just sounds-weird." He shook his head. "Maybe we should get chains-just in case."

Buffy's brows drew down. "Do you really think we'll need those, Angel?" She looked frightened and uncertain now.

"No," he answered, "but better safe than sorry, right?"

Buffy nodded. "Fine. I have some, but only as a precaution." Again she took off holding onto his hand with a vice-grip as she rushed across the campus-eager to get him alone.

Angel's longer stride let him keep up with her easily and within moments they were inside her dorm room. As one they grabbed each other, kissing passionately.

Clothes were discarded quickly and Buffy pulled his face to her neck again. "Do it!" she rasped, trembling. Her arousal evident in her scent and the way she rubbed her thighs together.

He swallowed, salivating as his eyes became engrossed in the pumping blood that flowed through her veins, pounding right there. Angel leaned closer, inhaling her scent. Heavenly. She was intoxicating. He let his tongue just barely taste the skin there and his eyes closed. He met her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Buffy moaned. Her memory of the one and only time Angel had bitten her was one of her most secret and sexiest fantasies. "Please…"

Angel turned her, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He sat on her bed and scooted back until his back rested against the headboard and Buffy was snuggled to his chest in front of him. He pulled her into his lap, groaning softly when her curvy rear end pressed against him and put exquisite pressure on his hard-on. He brushed her hair aside, watching her neck avidly as the pull of her blood made his fangs throb. Slowly, eyes never leaving her neck, Angel opened his mouth, baring those razor sharp teeth in a soft rumbling growl. "I've dreamed about this…" he admitted huskily.

Buffy leaned back against him and glanced up into his face. "So have I…a lot."

His fangs ached. "Buffy…" he said and lowered his head.

Buffy's heart pounded as he licked and suckled at her tender flesh. His nibbling drove her crazy, making her writhe in his lap and adding to their anticipation and excitement of the moment. Just when she thought he was going to torment her forever, he decided she was ready and very slowly sank his fangs into her, puncturing the butter soft skin of her throat with infinite finesse. Buffy's mouth opened in a silent scream of rapture. It was sublime and Buffy feverishly pressed back against his chest, needing to be as close to him as possible. Inside his skin would be nice!

His hands tightened around her, desperately wanting nothing more than to simply yank her panties off and bury himself in her with both his cock and fangs! Her blood was like no other—it was like a straight shot of heroin for a junkie, bewitching and addictive. Angel refused to allow the bloodlust to control him. With tremendous willpower he forced himself to only take small sips of her incomparable essence.

"Oh God, Angel…" Buffy moaned, reaching behind her and looping her arms around his neck as she squirmed on his lap. "So good…"

Her words and the scent of her arousal had his own ardor skyrocketing. He gave a rumbling growl and buried his fangs in her a little deeper. Buffy mewled and twisted her fingers in his hair, tugging on it, writhing against him as the ache between her legs became a glorious agony. His hands came up and cupped her breasts, squeezing them and rolling her nipples between his fingers. Buffy's hips jerked and Angel slid one hand down her belly and in between her thighs, giving her what she needed. He nursed his bite as he pushed aside her panties so he could touch her naked flesh. He eased one finger into her while using his thumb to rub and fondle her clit. Very quickly it was too much. Buffy's senses overloaded and her orgasm hit her with the subtlety of a train wreck. Devastatingly sublime and awe-inspiring were words she would have used to describe it, but all in all it was just Angel and the way he made her feel.

Angel tried to maintain his restraint, but he could taste her orgasm in her blood and with her writhing against him so wantonly, he found his control to be non-existent. He pumped his hips up and against her, frantic now that relief was so close. A tightening in his belly and scrotum warned him of his impending release and Angel suckled Buffy's neck harder as he quickly flipped open the buttons of his pants. He'd barely gotten himself free from the restricting leather before his body jerked and he came. He groaned against her flesh, unable to do anything but hold her like a lifeline while he spurted cool jets of semen across his pants, belly and onto Buffy's thighs.

They sagged against the headboard. Angel looked down at his pants and grimaced. Cum was splattered across the leather, soiling it. Thank God they hadn't tried this at that party. He'd never have been able to go back in—at least not like this. He tucked himself back into his pants and it was then he noticed Buffy's dress was also ruined. Shaking his head he gave her a rueful smile and apologized for making such a mess of them both.

Buffy giggled. "Puhlease…that was so worth a thousand dress, much less this one," she purred a euphoric expression gracing her beautiful face.

He chuckled huskily and kissed the side of her neck, licking and sealing his mark lazily, letting his saliva seal the wound. Neither wanted to move, even the thought took too much energy, so they stayed where they were cuddling. Feeling more sated than was probably wise, Angel gave a contented sigh and rested his chin on her shoulder, staring at the new mark. It was directly on top of her other scar…cementing and declaring his claim on her. He probably should, but couldn't feel guilty for marking her again. She _**was**_ his and as Angel was discovering, despite the months apart, he still felt quite primal when it came to his Slayer.

Snuggling up against him, she sighed when his tongue soothed his bite. "That was…soooo…amazing!" she said, grinning goofily from ear to ear. Buffy lolled against his sweat soaked chest, shuddering in the aftershocks of her powerful release. Sweat covered her skin and she swore she was burning up—on fire even. Without thought she sat up, leaped off the bed and opened the window of her dorm. "I'm so hot!" she complained, waving a hand in front of her face.

Angel's eyes roamed her body, silhouetted in the moonlight. "Yeah, you are…' he agreed, though he was sure they were speaking of different things.

Buffy suddenly whipped her dress off over her head, tossing it across the room without a care as to where it landed. She heaved a huge sigh of relief as the cool night air wafted over her flesh, soothing the inferno inside. "Thank God…so cool," she murmured, ignoring the fact she was standing there in nothing but a bra and panties with a vampire on her bed that wanted desperately to fuck jher within an inch of her life.

Angel could only take so much…with a low rumbling growl he snatched her hand and yanked her back on the bed. "You're a tease, Buffy Summers," he grumbled.

Buffy's head fell back, lolling against Angel's shoulder as she snuggled closer to his cool flesh, pushing out her chest and putting her breasts on display for Angel's eager eyes. "Not a tease…just hot..for you…"

Her words were like lighting the fuse on a keg of dynamite. Angel exploded in a flurry of movement. He pulled her bra down so that her breasts were pushed up and out, perfectly on display. His mouth watered and he lowered his head, unwilling to allow such a feast to go to waste. Angel suckled her breasts, tonguing her nipples, biting them gently as he stroked the wet spot between her legs. He was intent on making her as crazy as he was.

Buffy shivered and shook, her nails dug into his biceps as her eyes fluttered closed. He took one pink nipple in his mouth and sucked at her hard—almost painfully, but not. It was magnificent, and each draw of his mouth made the palpitating pulse between her legs pound until it was an urgent demand. How had she forgotten how utterly amazing he was in bed. The night she'd lost her virginity to him came rushing back. Angel had given her three mind melting climaxes before he'd even entered her.

_Oh God-tonight was going to be even better. _

He pulled her panties aside and Buffy's breath caught as he skimmed her opening, toying with her as he dipped his fingers into her moist folds. It was too much. "Angel, please…" she pleaded, thrusting her hips at him, clearly begging for more.

He nipped at her neck again, paying special attention to the spot where he'd marked her. "So sexy…" he rumbled, tearing her panties off so he could have an all access pass to her hidden treasures. He slid one long finger along her dripping center, pausing until her bright green eyes met his. "Mine," he said softly, slipping a finger inside her. Buffy's nails clawed his shoulders while she rubbed against him like a cat in heat, desperately seeking relief. He pressed wet kisses along her flesh while his thumb teased and tantalized that little bundle of nerves that could send her shooting into the outer limits of satisfaction.

"Angel," she whined as she climbed higher...so very close to the relief she knew was right around the corner. He tugged gently on her distended clitoris, pumping his finger in and out of her and Buffy's pulse raced, her breathing came in short pants and her body tensed as it prepared for the explosion of pure ecstasy. She held her breath, thrusting her hips into his hand. "Please-please-please," she begged, pride or shame not even a consideration at this point. "So close…"

She was holding her breath, striving too hard for her orgasm. Angel eased up the pressure on her clit, stroking her softly instead. "Breathe," he ordered softly. "Let it come—it will, I promise."

Buffy forced herself to relax and after a minute of gentle stroking and deep breaths, Angel went back to work, redoubling his efforts to get her off. Within seconds she was hovering on the very edge of the cliff again. "Oh God," she moaned as her legs tightened and trembled. Every nerve in her body was alive, tingling in anticipation as he slid another finger into her, plunging them in and out never forgetting pay special attention to clitoris. He expertly swirled his thumb around it again and again before pressing against the sensitive nubbin with a firm but gentle touch.

Buffy wanted to die. It was too good. "Angel-oh God, please…"

He added another long digit inside her, making her shiver and shudder as she clung to him like a life-line. She couldn't think-she was operating on pure instinct at this point. Her legs spread wide, opening to him, giving him her body with lusty abandon and Angel took advantage, quirking those long fingers inside her in a come hither motion, hitting that special spot inside Buffy. It was enough to send her hurtling into orbit. Her whole body went rigid, stars exploded behind her eyes and she reared up, biting his shoulder as she convulsed, coming undone in a symphony of ecstasy. Buffy gripped his shirt, clinging to him, shouting out his name as she rode out the seemingly endless waves of ecstasy he was giving her.

Angel pulled her limp, shivering form to him, holding her close as she recovered. She smelled so intoxicating. Everything about her drew him to her like a magnet. He inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of her sweet release. His eyes flashed golden and he rubbed his erection against her belly, growling as the friction made his hard-on pulse. She made him crazy. In a daze, he flipped open his fly, letting the enormous bulge in his pants free. His cock sprung out and butted against her taught stomach, leaving a trail of pre-cum. His eyes snapped shut and he hissed in pleasure.

"Fuck!" he gritted out, trembling as he rubbed the weeping tip of his penis along the damp folds of her center.

She was so wet, still dripping with the juices from her orgasm and it made him even hotter. He growled, blending his fluids with hers. He was marking her—putting his scent on her and the primal need to claim her made his cock surge with lust. Angel's hands tightened on her hips as he rocked against her, pushing the head of his penis inside her tight heat, groaning as it disappeared in and out, in and out of her. He moved slowly, thrusting shallowly, never entering her all the way. His eyes were riveted to where they were joined, the view of him sliding in and out of her made his balls tighten almost painfully. When he couldn't stand the teasing any more he put a finger under her chin and tilted her head up so their eyes met. She was heavy lidded, almost drunk on the pleasure he was giving her. "You are mine," he said and then he thrust deep inside her in one sure stroke.

Buffy let loose a scream that echoed across the room, out the open window and loud enough to wake the dead! He filled her so magnificently; she couldn't help the whimpering cries that burst forth with every stroke of his cock. Angel smothered her keening moans with his lips, kissing her senseless as he hiked her up, hands cupping her ass so he could fuck her properly. Buffy mewled against his mouth, gripping him tighter when he pulled almost all the way out and then plunged inside her again. Their bellies were pressed against each other. He was so deep; Buffy winced at how big he was. Angel noticed and paused, letting her adjust to his size.

"Ready?" he asked after a few moments.

She nodded. "God yes," she uttered, wrapping her legs around his slim hips as he began a slow, steady rhythm. Her head tipped back, eyes rolling in pleasure at how full she was. It was amazing. He was amazing…nirvana. Buffy clung to him like a tick when his movements sped up and he slammed into her hard and fast.

**B/A** xx **B/A**xx**B/A** xx **B/A**

**Outside the Lowell House: **

Willow picked up Buffy's 'Red-Riding-Hood' cape and glanced around the patio as if it would tell her where her friend was. "Well, they were here…" she said, holding up the cape. "But I guess we all know that."

Xander picked up Angel's shirt and held it high, waving it. "Okay, does anyone besides me see _this_…" he shook the shirt, "as a-very-bad thing?"

Anya frowned. "It's a shirt, what harm can it do? I've never heard of silk being scary...bunnies, yes, but silk, no."

Oz, Willow and Xander all gaped at her for a second before going back to the task at hand. Willow looked nervous. "You don't think they—?"

"Of course they did!" Xander cut in. "I think the Hansel and Gretel trail of clothes kind-a proves that, wouldn't you say?"

Oz shrugged. "Maybe it was hot…"

Xander gave him a look that said his humor wasn't appreciated. "So they decided to…what? Strip—can we all say homicidal maniac, boys and girls? Am I the_ only_ one who remembers what happens when the Buffster gives Angel a happy? It's running and screaming and dead people all over again!"

The gang as a whole looked worried.

Willow sighed. "Maybe we should check her dorm room…"

**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**

**Okay guys, now I know I said that part was going to be PWP, but...well after I re-read it I changed it drastically. I added the part where they discussed WHY Angel had that moment of 'perfect-happiness' I believe everything that happened that night and the fact that he didn't know about the curse either contributed to his 'perfect' feeling. PLUS-did anyone notice how I used Joss' OWN words to explain away the curse? In 'Smile Time' Wes tells Angel how most couples have to deal with acceptable happiness...remember? SO-I used Whedon's own words and my own spin on Angel's feelings when dealing with the curse. I found it quite simple really-how can he be 'perfectly-happy' when he KNOWS Angelus could come out again? Even with Buffy-he couldn't. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed this part...since I added to this I'll post the last part in a few days. Thanks again to all of you who R&R my fics...you all are so awesome.

Also for some amazing B&A fics-check out frosty600, Vixangel, Brandi Rochon (who I owe a smut chappie) sorry sweetie-I'll get that to you ASAP...Ashes at midnight, Helmi1, AngelBuffy-17 (Rox) Kay8abc and so amny others, but I've been out of this fandom for a bit and have to catch up on my reading-I see SO many new authors and I'm eagerly looking forward to reading and catching up on those and my fave authors tonight...love ya all...

Jen :) :) :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Return to Sunnydale**

**A fic by: Jen**

**Rating: NC-17-Big-Fat-M-If you're too young, do NOT read this fic.**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Angel or any of the BtVS characters. I simply play with them and *pouts* put them away again when I'm done. None of my writing is for financial gain so do NOT sue me!**

_A/N: I want to say thank-you-thank-you-thank-you to all of you amazing people who R&R. Without you and your input musie would be like a barren little desert. No inspiration. Thanks again…as a matter of fact it was some of my reviews and PM's that changed this fic a bit…I still have it completed, but now I've added to it—it's way longer than I anticipated. Especially after I pretty much RE-wrote this ENTIRE chappie! lol! I swear I'm incorrigible-please don't hate me too much... :p :p_

_Kay—e-nuff of me-on with the show…_

_Love ya,_

_Jen_

****B/A**xx*B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A****

**PART 3**

The room was dimly lit, clothes lay scattered across the floor, and the only sounds to be heard besides the occasional gasp moan or groan from the couple on the bed was the constant sound of flesh slapping against flesh. Oblivious to everything but each other, the couple made love passionately, eagerly reacquainting themselves with the others' body and what made them tick. The tiny blond clung to the broad shoulders of her dark haired lover, raking her nails along his flesh and whimpering with lust as he thrust in and out of her body. The dark haired vampire growled; face shifting back and forth from demon to human as he reveled in the bliss to be found within her. Even the most casual observer would admit they were a striking couple-but to the lovers clinging to one another, they were simply Buffy and Angel and they were finally reunited…

Buffy's hands tunneled through his hair, tugging at the soft, spiky strands as she arched into his thrusts, moving in time with the forceful rhythm he set. "Harder," she panted, gripping him tightly with her thighs. "I want to feel you everywhere."

Bracing himself on his arms, Angel angled his hips, and sped up his movements, giving her what she wanted as he drove into her with an animal force that had her head banging off the wall. Lost in the absolute ecstasy he provided, Buffy barely noticed. She clung to him, tilting her pelvis to allow him deeper penetration while she raced towards completion. His passion was so intense, it made her hotter—wetter and she was reminded of the times when their love had been so overwhelming it had literally taken up her entire life.

Before the curse—before Angelus. She froze. Her entire body quivered in sudden fear as the memory of that wicked demon washed over like a bucket of ice cold water. Sheer panic arose in her chest, nearly strangling her with its intensity. She pushed at Angel's shoulders frantically. "Angel, the chains… we forgot the chains."

Dazed and confused at the mid-coital interruption, Angel blinked at her with lusty golden eyes. His face was human, but his fangs had popped, flashing wickedly. His hair was mussed and his muscled body was beaded with sweat from the vigorous lovemaking they'd been indulging in just a minute prior. Like a deer caught in a headlight, Buffy stared. He looked sexy. Dangerously hot, and her resolve crumbled a bit, but the fangs, sexy as they were—they were also a clear reminder of how dangerous Angelus could be if allowed out. Buffy was too agonizingly aware of the consequences their lovemaking could bring.

The reminder of Angelus gave her the momentum to shove him off her. "Angel, we need to get the chains and have you restrained—just in case, remember?"

He shook his head as if to clear it and Buffy took that moment to slip from under him. With a quick burst of Slayer-strength she flipped him over so that he was on his back. She leaped off the small twin bed and hurried across the room to her closet. After a bit of rustling, she pulled out a pair of manacles and chains. She glanced over her shoulder at Angel still lying on her bed, and while he was still very obviously excited, he lay there passively, arms somewhat stretched above his head, awaiting the chains.

Walking slowly across the room, dragging the manacles behind her Buffy was absolutely,_ positively_ sure that she shouldn't find this situation arousing, _**but**_ seeing Angel submissively waiting to be chained to her bed was, in actuality, the equivalent to living out a few of the thousands of dirty little fantasies she'd had about him over the years. She climbed back on the bed, settling herself on top of him, straddling his waist.

"Ready?" she asked in a breathy voice. He simply nodded, but there was something so sexy in his expression, like he was going to enjoy being held virtually captive by her that Buffy's stomach clenched and another flood of moisture gushed out of her, wetting Angel's belly and seeping to the bed underneath them.

Angel's brow shot up as her juices soaked him. "Mmmmm…interesting." He smirked and his chocolate colored eyes glittered with saffron highlights. He licked his lips, inhaling the sweet scent of her arousal. "I know I've had fantasies about this, but would you care to share how many times _you've_ thought of doing this?" he asked, practically purring with sexual innuendo.

Buffy's face flamed. So he_ was_ enjoying this—hmm. She didn't comment on his statement though as she clicked the manacle into place with a snap.

"C-mon baby, tell me how many times you've dreamed of having me as your prisoner…"

Her green eyes danced as she trailed a pink tipped nail down his pale muscular chest, taunting him. "No," she said, swirling her finger around and into his belly button, poking it playfully. "Let's just leave it at a few…kay?" she said, averting her eyes from the hard-on that was riding high on his belly, throbbing and leaking pre-cum. Almost as if in a trance, her finger moved to the fat, red tip and scooped up some of the milky fluid seeping from his cock. He sucked in a sharp breath, causing his stomach to concave and Buffy eyes turned a deep, lusty green as they rose to meet his golden ones. They both froze, staring at each other with barely disguised hunger. She mumbled an apology, pulling her hand away from his penis. "Just let me get these…" She wrapped the chains around her bed posts, causing his arms to stretch above his head in a provocative pose. "There…" she breathed, licking her lips again, "perfect…"

Angel chuckled huskily as her eyes surveyed him like he was the sweetest piece of chocolate. Her mouth was practically watering and her excitement was like a living thing in the room with them. It made his cock jump, eager to be inside her again. "Only a few?" He raised a brow and made a *tsking* sound. "You're lying. I can smell how hot you are right now. This is obviously something you've thought about…" He flashed a lop-sided grin as she sat back on her heels and tried to maintain some semblance of decorum. He gave her a wolfish smile and wriggled his brows. "How bout this—I'll tell you mine-if you tell me yours…"

Buffy giggled. "Don't. I'm sure yours would leave mental scars…"

Angel agreed with a sexy growl. "Then tell me yours…" He made a show of rattling his chains. "I'm not going anywhere." Buffy nibbled on her bottom lip and Angel got even hotter as he realized she really _did _have some dirty fantasies about him. If possible he got even harder. "So…what's the first thing that comes to mind when you look at me chained here? Tell me—or better yet…show me. I'm a vampire. I can take it," he told her gruffly.

Buffy swallowed hard, trying to deny it, but she was soaking them more and more with every word Angel spoke. His voice was so rough, so sexy that Buffy had no doubt he really was enjoying this position. It fueled her inner Slayer. She grinded against the hard, lean muscles of his abdomen, her mouth curving into a smirk worthy of Angelus himself as she gripped his manacled wrists and pinned them to the bed. "You want me to punish you, Angel?" she purred.

"Fuck!" he cursed softly as her dripping center rubbed against his stomach, wetting the line of hair on his belly, soaking him in her excitement. He kept his face in his human guise, his gaze never leaving hers. "Do you want to punish me, Buffy?"

She leaned down and nipped at the corded muscles in his neck. "No, I want to love you, but your love hurts so bad…I want to die without you," she breathed, nibbling at his neck again before biting down hard on the jugular where his borrowed blood flowed hot and heavy.

Angel gasped and arched up, writhing in pleasure. "I hurt you—I'm sorry." Buffy's hands wandered away from his bound wrists to his chest. He let out a rumbling growl as she played with his nipples, rolling them lightly before pinching the pebbled nubs hard. Angel's eyes widened and his cock jumped. "Buffy!" he bit out, voice ragged with lust.

Buffy smiled at his reactions. "I never knew you liked pain…" she said, still playing with his nipples.

"Vampire," he said. "Pain/pleasure—it's al the same to us."

She seemed to contemplate that for a second before a wicked little smile quirked her lips. "Hmmm, is that so?"

Angel gazed at her, a bit wary as to where she was taking this. Her smile was a tad _too_ naughty for his liking. "To a point," he reiterated.

She scraped her nails down his chest just hard enough to draw tiny beads of blood in their wake. Angel hissed. His stomach quivered as those nails came dangerously close to his groin. He was hard, aching and very close to begging or whining for her to just fuck him already. "Buffy…" he groaned, chains rattling as he shuddered under her touch. She was driving him crazy.

"Yes?" she asked, slithering down his body until she was perched on his upper thighs, his impressive erection laid out before her like a tasty buffet. She licked her lips, watching intently as his penis jerked as if it had a will of its own. Buffy's breath hitched, having him at her mercy was certainly adding to the thrill of the upcoming joining. She lowered her head until her mouth was an inch away from the bulbous head of his cock. "What do you want, Angel?" She licked him seductively and Angel's hips thrust up in answer. "Tell me," she whispered, swirling her tongue along the dripping slit of his erection, lapping up the pre-cum gathering there.

"You!" Angel growled. "I want you—inside you."

More moisture gushed from Buffy as she teased and taunted him and Angel let out another deep groan as it rolled down his stomach, to his balls, wetting them. His face shifted and he lunged for her, desperate, hungry to taste what she was offering. Buffy scooted back a bit, giggling as he yanked and pulled, struggling fiercely to snap the chains that kept him from her, but they held fast and finally Angel fell back onto the bed, frustrated, horny and growly.

Buffy pinned him to the bed. "Don't snarl, lover…" she crooned, sliding back up his body until she was poised directly over his pulsing cock. She hovered there, on her knees, watching Angel's fierce expression with an impish one of her own. "I'll give you what you want…eventually," she added, giggling again when his brows snapped down and a fierce rumbling snarl reverberated in his chest. He was struggling to keep his demon in check. It was the sexiest thing Buffy had ever seen. Angel represented raw sexuality and power and he wanted _her_—badly. It was a much needed balm to her battered heart and she'd never felt so powerful or desirable.

Heart racing; Buffy took his penis in hand and guided it to her sopping entrance. Once again, Angel sucked in a ragged breath as she rubbed the weeping tip of his erection along her slit. His eyes snapped closed and he gave a soft hiss of pleasure as she inserted the head of his cock inside her. He trembled, silently begging her to stop teasing him and let him inside. Buffy watched him like a hawk. His teeth were clenched tight and a muscle in his strong jaw ticked as he waited. She gave a few shallow up and down movements designed to tease rather than satisfy and his eyes flew open. His frustration was written all over his face as he started to complain about her taunting when she suddenly sank down upon him, taking every magnificent inch of his enormous cock into her slippery channel until he filled her completely.

It was fast-furious and deliciously quick. "Buffy!" he gasped, chains jangling as he arched upwards, thrusting hard as he buried himself even deeper into her.

She paused, straddling him, groin to groin as she adjusted to his size. "Angel…" she moaned softly, "so good."

He couldn't speak. His eyes were rolling back in his head. It was too good and he forcibly reminded himself of Angelus-Jenny Calendar and tormenting Buffy. In a heartbeat some of the bliss faded as good-old-fashioned-Angel-guilt took its place.

"Ride me," he urged, hands twitching in his manacles as he tugged at them again. He wanted to grab hold of her hips and control the pace, but was unable to because of the chains. His irritation at his inability to touch was obvious as he pressed her to go faster.

Buffy complied. She braced her hands on his chest and her movements increased. Up-down, hard and fast, she undulated, rolling her hips, moving quicker and quicker until she was bouncing in his lap, riding his cock like he was a prized thoroughbred and she was a Triple Crown jockey.

Buffy's breath came in furious little gasps as she set a fast rhythm. Each downward stroke drove Angel deeper, sending bursts of pure pleasure towards her center. Her breathing was ragged-harsh. She dug her nails into his shoulders as they pounded against each other, seeking that ultimate satisfaction.

"Buffy, touch yourself," Angel bit out, placing his feet flat on the bed so he could lunge up harder, angle his hips better and hit that sweet spot inside her that would drive her over the edge.

Inhibitions gone; Buffy did as he demanded. Her right hand went from his shoulder to where they were joined. She'd never really masturbated much, so she was nervous, but his expression said how very much this turned him on. His head lifted so he could gaze down their bodies, watching her. It gave her license to be daring and adventurous.

Her fingers found her little nub. "Yeah, that's it…that's your clit, love and that little nub is a sure fire ticket to an orgasm…" he purred.

Buffy continued to move up and down Angel's shaft, but her pace had slowed as she let Angel teach her the art of masturbation. "It feels—kind-a good," she admitted, still blushing a bit.

"Of course it does," Angel said. "Now rub it, baby." Experimentally, Buffy pressed a finger against her clitoris, bearing down on it gently. Pleasure zinged through her making her nerves tingle. Her soft gasp made Angel growl. "Yeah, that's it," he instructed. "Now, use two fingers. Rub around it in a tiny circle putting just a little pressure on it…"Buffy followed his direction, whimpering delightfully as exquisite sensation raced from those delicate nerve endings throughout her entire body.

Angel bucked his hips, the head of his cock butting against Buffy's G-spot. Her eyes widened and she cried out, her own fingers pressing hard against her clit. "Oh-oh-God!" she cried.

Her inner walls clamped down on him and Angel snarled, planting his feet and driving up inside her in a frenzied pace that lacked his usual finesse. He was eager—desperate now to come with her. His amber eyes blazed and his body tightened, Buffy's honeyed relief flowed down his cock top pool on his groin. He pumped up and Buffy shuddered on top of him, her body entranced in a seraphic state of bliss. It was a divine moment for Angel and he thrust once-twice more and came hard—spilling cool jets of cum deep onside the womb of the one woman who would forever hold his undead heart in the palm of her deceptively tiny hand.

*xx*B/A**Fade-out**B/A*xx*

******B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A******

_**Stevenson Hall:**_

The uniformed men stalking the shadows of Stevenson hall could _feel_ the magic in the air. It spooked most of them, but the three leading the rest of the six man party felt nothing but pure adrenaline. They were the elite squad of the Initiative and they were determined to end the demonic presence in Sunnydale.

"Can you feel that?" Forest asked, glancing at his companions. He pulled something out of his pack, flipped it on and pointed it outwards as he turned around in a circle. The device bleeped and blurped—zinging into a high pitched frequency whine as it leveled on Stevenson hall. Forest gaped at the reading. "Shit, Ri—the electro-magnetic detector is jumping off the charts! What the hell is here that can give off that kind of power?"

Riley Finn glanced down at the device Forest held. Hew frowned. The reading was way high. "I don't know…but it's something—something big and…"

"Something bad," Graham interjected.

Nodding absently, Riley looked around as if stupefied. He was sweating. Every pore in his body seemed alive—tingling and his head itched. It was as if his hair was growing, but worse. It was like his hair was growing, but with lice or fleas attached to every strand. It was an impossible itch and Riley scratched at his head, trying to alleviate it, but it only made it worse. "Shit-what the hell!" he snapped, digging at his scalp with desperate fingers. "I don't know what this thing is, but it's making my hair stand on end—it itches…I can't stop." He glanced from Graham to Forest, both of whom were gawking at him a little strangely.

"We need to go tell Walsh," Graham cut in.

"And get Finn here something to wash his hair," Forest quipped.

Neither Graham nor Riley was impressed. "Not the time for a funny," Riley snapped, still scratching at his hair.

Graham shot Forest a 'cool-it' look before turning back to Agent Finn. "Ri-we need to go back to base and report to Walsh—maybe she'll know what's here. At the very least we need stronger weapons…"

Riley paused, debating what to do. The desire to hunt down whatever was causing this kind of electrical pulse, a pulse so heavy it could take over your central nervous system, thrummed heavy in his drugged up blood. He wanted to hunt and kill it, but he was a soldier and as such, he had to follow the chain of command. After a moment he nodded brusquely. "You're right. Let's head back to headquarters," he ordered and the group as a whole sprinted off across the campus.

**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**Fade out**xx**B/A*xx**B/A**xx**

Sunnydale Campus:

Xander was in a tizzy as they made their way from Lowell House to Stevenson Hall. "You don't really think the 'Buffster' would give 'Dead-Boy' a happy when she knows what will happen, do you?"

Willow swallowed nervously. She wasn't at all sure of anything right then. "Well, um…first thing, we can't jump to conclusions. We can't accuse." She gave Xander a meaningful look. "Remember the last time we did an 'Angel-Intervention'?"

Xander nodded, but it was petulant. "Yeah, I remember."

"It didn't turn out well," Oz said.

Willow nodded. "No, it didn't. We pushed Buffy further away from us. We have to accept that she loves him…"

Xander made a face. "I can't—won't accept that she'd rather lay down with that corpse than a real man…it's—" He shivered with exaggeration and made a face. "I just can't picture Buff wanting that corpse instead of a real man," he said petulantly, crossing his arms and scowling like a spoiled child.

"You do know that pouting and whining are not attractive, Xander," Anya commented with a small eye roll.

Willow almost smiled, but refrained. Xander was worked up enough as it was. "Moving on," she said. She took Xander's hand. "We need to not do the blamey thing. Remember, we have to be supportive, but firm. Friendly, but determined. We want Buffy to see that she can depend on us, and with that hopefully we can get her to listen to us."

"Hopefully?" Oz raised a brow and grinned. "Sounds like you need a Buffy-whisperer."

Xander glared at the musician, he was about to reply when a group of soldiers burst out from a group of bushes, startling the Scoobies. For a second they all stared at each other before the army men took off back towards the way the Scoobies had just come from.

Willow's gaze moved from the fierce looking group of retreating soldiers to Xander. "Friends of yours?" she asked, remembering the Halloween when Xander went all 'commando-guy'.

"Um…a little too Schwarzenegger for my tastes Will," Xander murmured, eyeing the figures as they rushed away towards the frat houses.

Anya watched them go wistfully. "They may be masked, which means they're probably evil, but they look very strong. Their thighs were very muscular. I bet they would give amazing orgasms." She pushed a floppy ear of her bunny costume back from her face. "I say we follow them." The Scoobies' all turned to gape at her. Xander flushing red, while Willow and Oz just gazed at her as if she was a strange science experiment.

"What?" she asked, fidgeting under the Scoobies' gaze. "It's a recognizance mission…"she explained. "Buffy would want to know there is a group of dangerous, and virile group of soldiers hunting in her town, right?"

Shaking her head, Willow looked away from the over-sharing demon. And Willow had thought Cordelia bad! Anya made Cordy look like a clam—all closed up. "Moving on…" Willow said, still giving Anya a strange look before focusing on Oz and Xander. "So we agree _no_ confrontations. We ask Buffy what her intentions are with Angel and then we level-headedly remind her how dangerous it is for her to be with him, okay?"

Oz shrugged. "But she loves him. Love and level head don't always go together, Wills."

"But this is Buffy. She'll do what's right," she insisted with a nod.

"If you say so," Xander muttered.

Nobody commented, Willow was the _only_ member of the Scooby Gang that looked enthusiastic as they headed towards Stevenson Hall.

**Cut to Lowell House:**

Outside the frat house, Riley grabbed both Graham and Forest while the rest of the group went inside. "Hey," he said to his friends. "I was um…wondering if we could uh…leave out the part where I…um…"

"Went all Itchy-scratchy?" Graham supplied, smirking.

"Um…yeah. That," Riley said, clearly embarrassed.

Both commandos smiled ay Riley. "Not a problem—as long as we get first dibs on hunting for Hostiles later tonight."

Riley rolled his eyes, but agreed… "Jerks…" he muttered under his breath as he followed after them.

As a group of three they entered the house, went right to the mirror that led to the underground. Riley supplied the retina scan and lickety-split they were in the elevator, heading down in to the ground and on their way to knowing what was lurking here in Sunnydale…

Little did they know that they'd soon be wishing they'd never found out.

**B/A*xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx**B/A**xxxxx*B/A**

**Cut to Buffy's room:**

Buffy was rounding her fifth or was it sixth orgasm when she finally fell into an exhausted lump onto Angel's chest. She moaned as she felt his semen gush into her as he came right after she had.

Buffy laid her head on her folded arms across his chest. He was amazing. She sighed, too tired to do anything more than that.

His chains clanged as he adjusted his body to a more comfortable position. He leaned down to brush a kiss along her brow. "That was perfect, love," he said, kissing her again with a gentle loving brush of his lips.

Buffy raised her head and grinned. "See, perfect and no curse." Buffy was practically gushing from her position on top of Angel's belly. "You're still you, right?"

Angel grinned. "Yes, I'm still me."

Like flipping off a switch, Buffy's glowing expression faded and her brows drew down. Her stunning white teeth worried her bottom lip hesitantly. "I know it's ridiculous," she murmured quietly, "and I_ should_ be doing a thousand dances of happy, but…" She paused, flushing.

"But what, Buffy?" Angel asked, wanting to hold her, but the damned chains kept him restrained, unable to comfort. "Tell me, baby," he urged.

Her lower lip was in a definite pout, but she looked as embarrassed as she did vexed. "But…" she finally said, "you not losing your soul…" She fidgeted, picking at the blanket nervously and unwilling to meet Angel's eyes. "Does this…um…mean you don't…" her voice was barely a whisper, "love me as much anymore?"

Angel could have said that was what was coming, but he'd hoped she'd get that their time before had been so innocent—neither of them were that naïve anymore. "No, Buffy, it does NOT mean I don't love you anymore, it just means I'm not so foolish to believe in happily ever after. It means that I'll never have redemption, and I won't ever deserve the love you offer. The curse made sure of that," he said with an ugly sneer. His eyes flashed golden. "I can't just love you anymore. I have to always remind myself that loving you is painful—it hurts, but I deal because I can't stop it. I can't stop loving you, Buffy." He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw clicked. "I've tried—Christ knows I've tried God dammit, but it's useless. Nothing will ever drive you out of my heart." He sighed. "I think tonight kind-a proved that."

Lying on top of him like a 'Buffy-blanket' she placed her chin on her folded arms and smiled down at him. "So what do we do now, where do we go from here?" He looked stumped and her lip jutted a bit. "And in case you were wondering, by where, I meant forward."

His eyes were a deep, yet sad brown. "Buffy, we may be able to have sex, but I still can't—"

She clapped a hand over his mouth. "I swear if you tell me you can't give me sunshine and children I'll end the whole discussion and ,make a damned eunuch of you, darn it!"

Angel's eyes bulged, but he instantaneously settled down._ That_ was the _absolutely_ last thing he ever-ever wanted to happen to himself. "Um…okay. I'll…um… just be quiet, since I'm…um…kind of attached to those…um…parts you're talking about."

Buffy seemed pleased. "Good, so you agree we love each other, right?" Angel nodded a lot more enthusiastically than normal, but she was still straddling him with him in chains and he really—_**really **_had _**NO **_desire to discover if _**(everything)**_ grew back after you're turned! He could quite honestly go the rest of his existence without knowing.

"Yes, I love you, Buffy," he placated. "I do. I want to be with you, but I can't just up and abandon my mission in L.A."

Buffy nodded. "Okay, so what would you suggest as the mature plan to see each other_** and**_ take care of our responsibilities?:" Angel was at a loss and Buffy suddenly realized he may have been planning this to be a one night only kind-a thing. "Um silence—not really an answer, sweetie. Try again. So what's the mature plan again—hmmm?"

Stumbling for an answer that won't have him singing in the 'girls' church choir' Angel said, "We…keep in touch I'll come up there and you come down here. We get to know each other again so that we can make sure this is what we really want," he explained.

She gave a soft, sarcastic snort of laughter. "What we really want?" she repeated. "I thought—m" Suddenly she stopped. "Oh, so now you're not so sure. I get it…" Angel started to deny it, but Buffy had entered the 'Land of Insecurity' and wasn't willing to listen to him. "So you want to just cruise up here on the weekends for some what-? Sex and slayage?" He scowled, opened his mouth to deny that, but she was getting pissed now and steamrolled right over whatever he was going to say. "Or do I come to you?" She made a face and clapped her hands, "Oh I know…maybe you'll let me come to L.A. to hang out with you and _**Cordelia**_ sometimes?" Angel scoffed, but Buffy wasn't listening. "Gee Angel…" she said sarcastically exaggerating a role out of one of those old movies on TV. She put her clasped hands to her heart. "Oh boy, that'd be like…" She sighed dramatically, "really swell!" she finished with a faux faint.

Angel snarled at her. "Quit it," he snapped. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it."

"What about Cordelia?" Buffy asked before she could stop herself. Her face flushed after that question got out, but she raised her chin and held her ground as if she'd intended to ask that. When he didn't answer, her chin hitched up another notch and she said, "Well?"

He looked surprised. "Do you really want an answer to that?"

She made a face. "I asked didn't I?"

"I just thought that was you being Buffy and talking before thinking," he muttered. She glared at him and it was clear this inquisition was heading towards serious ground. He rattled his chains again before relaxing and telling her the absolute truth. "I have never, and I won't ever have a thing for Cordelia, or any other woman, Buffy," he said softly, saying her name in that reverent way he used to. Buffy melted at his next words. "You're my girl…always and forever—I've never loved anyone like I love you."

"Angel…" she whimpered, cupping his jaw and placing little kisses all over his face before settling her lips on his and kissing him to within an inch of his long life.

With a moan Angel forgot about Cordelia or the fight or anything except Buffy and the way her tongue moved against his.

**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A*xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**

**Stevenson Hall:**

Willow pushed open the doors to the hall, with Xander close on her heels, followed by Oz and then Anya. Right away she knew—felt something wasn't right. "Do you feel that?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

Xander shook his head, but both Anya and Oz both nodded.

"Hey, why do they feel something I can't?" Xander complained.

"Supernatural thing. You wouldn't get it," Oz said in his monosyllable way.

They made their way up the stairs to the dorm rooms above. Willow paused, frowning as she noticed that every single student on Stevens' Hall seemed to be auditioning for a 'Students' Gone Wild' video! Girls and Guys were running through the halls half naked and running amok. They were kissing, groping and doing other things that had Willow blushing and Anya licking her lips and cheering them on!

Willow cringed as the powerful force residing in the hall forced its way upon her. She turned to Oz and grabbed him by the shirt. "Come on big boy, let's go to my room and you can show me how hairy things can get between us…" She kissed Oz heatedly before flinging him back and yanking her shirt open, exposing a pastel pink lacy bra. "Come and get it…"she giggled before racing off down the corridor.

Oz glanced at Xander and Anya. "Find Buffy and Angel," he said before chasing off after his girlfriend.

Xander gawked at their retreating figures open jawed. "O-kay—this has officially gone from strange to disturbing." He glanced at Anya, "And since we're fresh out of super-people since Willow went all Felicity on us and decided to let her hair down…" he turned to Anya, "I say we find Buffy." Anya and Xander headed up another flight of stairs to the second floor of dorm rooms. "Oh and on another cheerful note, let's just hope she hasn't already unleashed Angel's crazed, but surprisingly better dressed alter-ego to torment us again… "

**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A*xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**

Onside Buffy's dorm room:

Angel pulled his mouth from hers, gasping a lungful of unneeded breath. "Buffy…" he panted, petting her with a hand that still had a manacle attached, but one that was no longer attached to the bed. "Can you feel it?" he asked softly. It felt like spiders crawling on his skin. His senses were reeling, tingling and zinging with the feel of the magical power flowing throughout the building. "Something is happening here…"

She pulled his face back to hers and kissed him passionately. "Don't wanna feel anything but you…" she murmured between kisses.

Angel groaned, letting her overwhelm him again. Kissing Buffy was like tasting a slice of heaven and it was so very hard to stop feasting on her. But another wave of powerful lusty magic hit him, making his demon emerge and Angel reared back. "Buffy!" he tried again, this time more forceful. "There's magic here—it's all around us—trying to lure us in…we have to stop. We have to—"

Buffy giggled and nibbled at his bottom lip, cutting him off. "Why stop? The magic is us, Angel. We're so good together. That's what you're feeling," she said and settled her mouth firmly over his again stilling his protests.

His innate lust for her and the powerful magical force taking over Stevenson Hall caused Angels' reservations to fall by the wayside. He wanted her and he was finally able to have her, why the fuck was he haggling? His nerve endings sparked hot with salacious craving and Angel let out a primitive growl as he rolled her under him. He pinned her to the bed, thrusting his erection along her oh-so-wet-folds. "Mine," he gritted out and angled his hips so he could thrust back inside her.

Buffy keened loudly as his thick penis penetrated her deep with one sure stroke. Her head fell back and she buried her hands in his hair. "Yes! Yours…" she cried, wrapping her legs around his hips as he set a rough and steady pace, pounding her into the mattress.

**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A*xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**

**Upstairs; Stevenson hall:**

Willow was running down the hall. She'd lost Oz somehow and now she was somehow lost. "Oz! Buffy!" she cried, running through the dorm. She screeched to a halt at one room when she saw Xander and Anya sitting there playing 'spin-the-bottle'. She raced into the room and grabbed Xander by the sleeve of his jacket. "Xander—something bad. Voices—telling me to—we have to stop it. This place is haunted." She got up suddenly and ran back to the door. "Need Buffy. Hope I'm not too late," she said as she booked it from the room as if Angelus himself was hot on her heels.

Xander looked at Anya, "What's the deal? Is every frat on this campus haunted? And if so, why do people keep coming to these things, cause it's not the snacks."

"I think this time it's the sex-not the snacks," she said and pointed behind Xander.

Xander peered over his shoulder. "Oh…" he said softly as he saw a couple having open sex there in the room. "I take it we're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy," he said as he got to his feet. He reached down, grabbed Anya and pulled her to her feet too, just as someone spun the bottle again. It spun and spun, getting faster and faster and faster until it was a blur of movement. Xander blinked as if in a haze. He stared hard at the bottle as if it could answer all his questions. His eyes dilated. He swayed on his feet and he started to get light headed. Xander reached for Anya with a burning lust when suddenly the bottle exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere. Students screamed and ducked, diving for cover from the violent pieces of sharp glass flying about the room.

After several tense minutes, the ruckus had finally died down and Xander peeked from his hiding spot behind a couch. "It's clear," he told Anya and together they made haste to the door and out of that room. Unfortunately the halls were no better. Young students were everywhere in various states of undress. Some were really getting 'jiggy' with it, but others looked uncomfortable as if they really didn't understand why they were participating in this 'orgy-fest'.

"It's a spell," Xander growled, watching angrily as one young red-head, who reminded him of no one in particular, (not) smacked the wandering hand of the guy next to her. She looked totally offended, yet she still stood there in the hallway in nothing but her bra and panties. Xander shook his head. If this was all over the dorm then…He froze as a sickening thought hit him. If normal everyday people were this affected then what the hell were Buffy and Angel doing? It was scary enough to make his heart palpitate with fear. "Sorry to spin and run, but we gotta go," he said to the group as he grabbed Anya's hand and pretty much dragged her from the room. His only explanation was, "Buffy—Angel—we have to go—now!"

**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A*xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**

Buffy opened the last restraint keeping Angela t bay. "Please…" she whined, scrambling back on the bed and offering herself up to him. "Need you…" she panted.

As soon as he was released, Buffy very quickly found herself pinned to the bed, Angel's heavy body pinning her to the bed as he clamped the manacles on_ her_ wrists.

Buffy's passion-magic fogged mind couldn't quite comprehend… "Angel?" she asked, her face scrunching up in confusion.

He rose above her, proud, arrogant and way too giddy. The smirk was the first clue, it was just a bit too cruel, but the eyes…oh the eyes are windows to the soul. As Buffy gazed into those fathomless dark eyes it suddenly dawned on her she didn't see a soul. Her eyes widened and she gasped in shock, fear and guilt. "Angelus?" she choked, praying she was wrong.

He hopped up from the bed and posed in front of her chained form. Chuckling he leaned over her, the cruel sadistic twist to his sensual lips frightened Buffy as much as they excited. He brushed a knuckle along her cheek."Jeez Buff-took you long enough, though I gotta admit—l" His dark eyes glittered with malice and something more-lust. He growled and nipped at her neck. "I_ fucking love_ the way you wriggle on my cock, Buff—really, when I said you were a pro, I never expected you to actually achieve the status -quo. Well done, babe—" He paused, lips twisting and his expression went icy and cruel as he asked, "Oh, just one more thing…" Buffy's chest restricted as if a foot was there stomping. Angelus winked, "So tell me…how many poor little school boys did it take to achieve expert status?" Buffy's eyes widened and her throat closed with bitter tears. Angelus laughed cruelly. "Oh come on…not even Soul-Boy-sap that he is thinks you saved it for him." He winked. "I think the whole campus knows about that dirty little boy you let fuck you Buff—Angel did. He hated it. Not me," he chuckled again as he trailed a finger up and down her tight tummy. "I think it's funny because we both know that little insipid boy didn't fuck you like you need—isn't that right, lover?" He purred, nibbling along her collar bone, heading dangerously close to her neck.

Buffy's pulse was thundering in her ears. "Angelus-"she croaked, but it was too late, before Buffy could formulate a complete sentence explaining why this was a very bad-bad idea, Angelus had his fangs buried in her neck…

"Oh-Oh God…" she moaned, clutching him to her as she spun into what she prayed wouldn't be her last orgasm as a human…

****B/A**xx*B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A*xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx**B/A**xx*B/A**xx*B/A****

Okay guys, I know this turned into a little bit longer fic. I still have the ending done and (OMFG) it actually works so much better now that I've used 'Where the Wild Things Are" in the fic. It's perfect. Oh and I wasn't going to have Angelus—His addition is a special gift to Vix, Roxi, Brandi, Courtney, Summer (please come back-I miss u) and all you other Angelus lovers out there. I found a way to let him make an appearance with the 'WtWTA' premise…BUT bear in mind-all you Angelus lovers—(Jen wags finger) I only added him for a sec. This IS a Buffy/Angel fic-okay-kay!

Now please click that little button and tell the musie if you love her—hate her—whatever. Any and all comments are welcomes. Hey, I'll tell you, musie has, at times, gotten fired up by someone telling her she fucked up—so seriously—let it fly here. I love reading peoples honest feelings about my work. Thanks so much again. Hope you enjoyed this chappie. :) :) :)

Hugs and kisses,

Jenna


	4. Chapter 4

Return to Sunnydale

A fic by: Jen

Rating:M

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters—wish I owned Angel or Angelus for just one night, but sadly—no, it's never happened...

**A/N:** First of all I want to say to all my friends and faithful readers; thank you for all your pms asking if I have been okay. It was heartwarming and I promise to respond to all of you shortly. Truthfully, I haven't been okay. I have had some very traumatic family tragedies in the last few months, the worst of which was on Dec. 13th when my dad died in a tragic accident that occurred in my own backyard. Needless to say I was devastated and I lost the will to write. Musie was silenced completely and even when I wanted to escape, I simply couldn't. I was depressed and I honestly didn't know if I would pick up a fic again. It was that bad. But a few days ago, I was inspired again…(thank you Courtney) and I was happy to feel that old spark of creativity flowing. So…I sat down at my computer and totally re-wrote this fic. It has a lot more depth to it now and I am totally pleased with how it has turned out. It is a couple chappies longer than it was before, but I think you all will be pleased with it too. (at least I hope so) Whew! I'm nervous—haven't posted in so long…

Okay, that being said. Please forgive and understand my long absence. I promise I will try and get to all my unfinished fics. I am working on a new chappie on BoD as I post this. I want to wrap that one up and then I will concentrate on SHG—Second Chances and then WiT. I think maybe if I concentrate on one at a time I can finish them. Thank you again for all your love and support. It is you guys that have given me the spark to continue doing this thing that I love so much.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

Jenna

Now enough of me…on with the show! :) :) :)

_Where we left off: The gang was searching for Buffy because the Hall was going crazy and Angelus had returned. The last scene was where he had his fangs buried in Buffy's neck… (yikes)_

**Chappie 4**

**Stevenson Hall:**

Xander and Anya rushed down the hallway towards Buffy's room. Xander did his best to ignore the various students performing lewd acts all around him, while Anya watched avidly or intermittently pouted over the fact that she and Xander weren't feeling the effects of whatever spell was happening here.

"Why aren't you affected?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Xander paused outside the room. "I don't know—lucky I guess," he replied, pressing his ear to Buffy's door. "Or maybe it's my determined willpower, my impervious strength of—" Anya snorted, cutting him off and Xander looked peeved. "Fine, just lucky it is," he muttered shooting her another perturbed glare.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, for whom? Everyone here is getting lucky, not me. It seems all I do now is _not_ have sex," she said under her breath.

"Huh? We're kind of in a situation here and you're thinking about sex?"

She glared at him. "And obviously you're not."

"Um that would be a big no. I'm more worried about Buffy's evil ex showing up. Not a big fan of running, screaming and tirture." He huffed an exasperated breath, "big picture here, An."

"Fine," she agreed petulantly, tapping her foot. She waited all of about five seconds before she asked, "Well, do you hear anything?"

"Ssshh," he hissed, listening closely before he stepped back, shaking his head. "Nothing, not even a church mouse, but at least there's no moaning or groaning. That's a good thing, right?"

Anya simply shrugged. "Well, it's certainly says something. I know if I had a big hunk of beefcake like Angel in bed I don't think I'd be quiet about it."

Xander scowled at her. "Someone needs to polish up on their pep-talk skills." He put his ear to the door again and when he still didn't hear anything, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe they're not here."

"Or he's already killed her," Anya said with another shrug, causing Xander to shoot her a horrified look. "Either way, I'm bored, let's go have sex."

"O—kay, was it the pep-part of pep-talk that gave you the problem because that isn't what I'd call peppy," he muttered.

"Even if they were in there, everyone around us is having sex—well except us of course—but my point is how can we tell if it's Buffy/Angel sex sounds and not the ones there…" she pointed to a couple at the end of the hall, "or there," she pointed to another couple groping a few dorm rooms down from them. "See, too many sex sounds to tell. Now can we go because all this…sex is making me jumpy and…" she paused, "jealous too," she added, giving the couple a few doors down a heated glare as they ate at each others' mouths. "Can you at least get a room so that those of us not having sex don't have to watch!" she snapped at them.

As if to prove her point a rumbling groan came from the entire dorm and students left and right seemed to go into a frenzy of kissing, touching and doing things that had Xander's cheeks flushing red as the magick of whatever was possessing the house seemed to seep under his flesh too, making his skin tingle.

"Uh-oh," Xander whispered as a burning heat raced up his spine and settled south of his belt buckle.

"Now isn't the time for uh-ohs, Xander. I'm really getting irritated and I want to go now," Anya griped, pushing one of her bunny ears out of her face with a huff.

"Sorry, but I think uh-oh suits here since I…uh…think I might have just got on the crazy train too," he said, reaching for Anya to pull her into a heated kiss.

**Cut to inside Buffy's room:**

Her blood flowed down his throat and Angelus groaned deeply, wrapping his arms around her, clutching her tight to his chest as the taste of her filled his senses. His eyes rolled. He'd planned on killing her fast and hard and then leaving her body for her friends to find, but that was before he'd tasted the nirvana that was Buffy. She was exquisite, unlike anything he'd ever known. He'd had the watered down version of her essence when Angel had bitten her last year, but this—this was a demon's paradise. His body tightened, his cock hardening to the point of being painful as he savored the wondrous bouquet that was Buffy's blood.

As he drank, she clung to him, gasping, writhing and shuddering underneath him. He growled. He wasn't going to kill her, no, he was going to fuck her until either he wanted to kill her or possibly turn her. Now that was an idea. He gazed down into her face. She was beautiful. He could easily look at her for eternity. At that moment a new plan formulated in his head and he pictured her as a vampire. She would be a lethal combination of passion and strength; definitely a mate worthy of him. His cock twitched, getting even harder and he rubbed himself between her wet folds as he drank, enticing her into wanting even more of him.

Buffy arched into him, whimpered pleas for all of him falling from her lips as the head of his cock pushed against her clit. "Pleeeasse…I need you…"

"Patience lover," he murmured against her neck, hugging her tighter to him. Her powerful blood was making his head spin and Angelus was positive that tasting her was the closest thing to heaven he would ever see. He groaned at how wet she was and rubbed against her harder, giving them both the friction they needed. Buffy bucked and writhed, raising her hips as much as she could, considering she was chained to the bed and Angelus took full advantage, letting the head of his penis slip and slide between her moist nether lips, bringing them both closer to ecstasy. She was even better than he'd imagined and very quickly he was panting against her neck, shaking like he'd never had a woman before. He was stunned to realize he was very close to coming before she did.

That would never—ever do. One hand slipped down her belly and slithered between her legs, quickly finding her 'hot-spot'. Angelus used his thumb and forefinger on that sweet little bundle of nerves to catapult Buffy right over the edge. Her body tensed, went rigid and then all at once she bucked upwards, crying out softly as she climaxed.

Oh fuck…her release made her blood all the sweeter and within seconds Angelus found his relief too, grunting with pleasure as he splashed his semen across her belly and thighs. He didn't even bother to marvel at the fact that he wasn't inside her when he came because, as usual, once again Buffy had surprised him. She'd always been a powerful opponent, now she'd make a divine companion. He took a few more sips, truthfully never wanting it to end, but with orgasm came a rapid pulse rate and an alarming amount of her blood gushed into his mouth, shocking him out of his drugged state. She could die if he didn't stop and while he may have wanted that once, now that he'd tasted her there was no way in hell he wanted her dead—at least not yet. He forced himself to pull back, shaking his head in order to clear the wonder-lust her blood induced. He licked the wound closed, enjoying her taste for just a few more seconds before removing himself from the temptation of her jugular.

She didn't move and for a tiny second that seemed an eternity, he panicked. Had he drank too much? "Buff?" he queried, leaning up on one elbow to stare down at her face. She was breathing. Her chest rose and fell raggedly, but she was definitely still among the living. He let go the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Are you alright, lover?" he asked, wincing a bit at the concern even he could hear in his voice.

A slow smile eased across her face. "Wow…" she murmured, slurring the word as if she was drunk.

He smirked. She looked as high as he felt and a slow smile quirked the corner of his lips upward. "Yeah, wow is right, lover." He let his hand trail down her chest, between the valley of her perky breasts. "Should 'a just fucked you into this state the first time," he said more to himself than her. "It would've saved us both a lot of trouble—not to mention a nice little trip to hell..." he added under his breath. When she remained quiet and unmoving he felt his chest constrict again. He shook her roughly. "Buff, open your eyes!"

"Stop…" she whined, blinking open heavy lids and trying to shrug him off. He was ruining her after-glow and she really wanted him to just be quiet and let her bask. "Don't wanna—just wanna relaaaxxx…" she purred, closing her eyes again.

Impatient; Angelus undid the chains that held her captive and pulled her up and into a sitting position. Buffy slumped forward. She was pale—too pale and Angelus felt a knot tighten in his stomach. It was so foreign he didn't even recognize it for what it was—fear. "Buff, you need to open your eyes," he said, going for cajoling, but it came out more as a demand. To his dismay she didn't respond. Her head lolled to the side and she was limp as a wet noodle. Had he drank too much? "Buff-Buff, c'mon lover, wake up," he snapped, refusing to acknowledge the churning in his gut as worry. After all he _did_ want to kill her—eventually. But not right now. She was a feast to be savored, not snuffed out in an overindulged feeding frenzy, dammit! Getting more and more agitated, he slapped her across each cheek, intent on forcing her to respond. "Buff, if you don't get up right now I'm going to give you some of my blood and since I'm pretty sure that will seriously piss you off, I suggest you open those sexy green eyes of yours lover and wake the fuck up!" he snarled, shaking her hard enough to rattle a few teeth loose.

Grumbling at his heavy handed approach, Buffy swatted his hands away. "If I wasn't so sleepy you know I'd _so_ kick your ass," she muttered trying to pull away from him, but he held her firmly in his hands, shaking her again until she finally met his forceful stare. "What's wrong with you?" she huffed, brushing her wildly tangled blonde hair back from her face so she could glare up at him properly.

It occurred to him the irony of the situation and he almost laughed outright. Here he was trying to keep her awake so she wouldn't die and she was fighting him about it. Go figure. If only she'd been this easy a couple of years ago—that one way ticket to hell would've never happened. There was a voice inside his head that urged him to finish her while he had the chance. Maybe if he wasn't so hard and aching he might just listen to that insidious inflection and take her up on the offer she was unwittingly giving him, but he _was_ hard. He _was_ aching. And while he could feed from any human and survive just fine, only _she_ could ease the burning lust consuming him and for that he needed her alive—or at least awake. The idea of turning her was starting to sound better and better…

When he simply stared at her without answering, Buffy patted his cheek clumsily, "S-okay, you can't help getting all growly when you don't get your way. It's in your nature…at least that's what my psych professor..." she yawned, "is always saying." His brows drew down at that, but Buffy was too tired and sated to bring forth the effort to stay mad or try and get away from him. With a sigh she sagged back against his chest, snuggling in and making herself comfortable. "Wake me up in a few and we can fight then…kay?" she murmured sleepily.

Angelus' eyes traveled over her, watching her like a hawk, but she seemed fine—a little loopy maybe and still too pale for his liking, but her heart was beating with a solid *thump-thump*. He finally relaxed. His Slayer was not going to kick the bucket anytime soon—at least until he wanted her to that is. Good. Now he could get back to what he still needed from her. "Remind me to bring that up later, hmm…" he said with a smirk.

She opened one eye. "Huh?" she asked, seemingly forgetting _what_ she said and _who_ she said it too, not to mention the danger she '_should_' be in.

He chuckled wickedly. "It's nothing," he said, letting her fall back onto the bed before positioning himself between her legs. "How about we do something else instead of fighting, hmmm?"

Buffy moaned softly as he settled on top of her. Her legs spread to accommodate him and cradle him to her body. She should be freaking out, the rational—not overly pleasured part of her brain screamed danger, but her instincts told her if he'd wanted to kill her he would have tried already. Buffy wasn't the oldest Slayer ever for nothing. She was safe—at least for now. If or when he tried to take her—she'd deal with him then, right now she just wanted to feel the bliss. "Mmmmm…sounds good," she said softly, eyelids drooping and still sporting a somewhat goofy grin, "'cause I'm way too happy and tired to stake you, Angelus."

His eyes widened. Well, she may be high as a kite, but she apparently knew who she was in bed with. His dark eyes glittered and a smirk curled the corner of his sensual lips up. Well, isn't that interesting. It made him hard all over again and he quickly guided his weeping erection to her dripping core. He slid the head of his cock along her slit, blending their fluids. That made him even hornier and he couldn't wait anymore to have her. "Just wanted to make sure you were awake for the main event, lover," he whispered into her ear as he pressed home, finally feeling first hand the hot, slippery channel of the only woman that both he and the soul had obsessed over equally.

He growled her name as her tight sheath surrounded him, hissing in pleasure when her muscles tightened, inner walls fluttering, milking him. He gritted his teeth. It was too much and he stilled inside her, resisting the craving to just pound away until he got off. But that wouldn't help his ultimate plan and Angelus was a lot of things, but first and foremost, he was a demon with an agenda. He wanted Buffy to crave him. Lust after him like she did the soul and the only way to do that was to give her so much pleasure she'd want him as badly as she wanted Angel—hopefully more. It was simple really, and the way Angelus figured, it was rather poetic justice to tie Buffy to _him_ sexually since Angel had essentially borrowed from _his_ vast repertoire of sexual experience to pleasure Buff. Hell, Soul-Boy hadn't even been around through most of their shared sexual exploits. As a matter of fact, if anything the prick had practically become a monk when took over driving the body...

Now _that_ had seriously pissed him off. His anger gave him back the control that had been slipping and he was once again reminded he had a purpose here besides getting his rocks off. Bonding Buffy to _him _and making her his 'Dark Slayer' was his driving force and he was going to use every trick he knew to rock her world until the _only_ name she screamed was his and his alone. Then and only then, he'd drain her, turn her and together they would wreak havoc on this town and anywhere else they chose to go. It was perfect and he trembled in excitement. Not to mention the added perk that once she was a vampire any ideas she had for bringing soul-boy back would die along with her humanity—win-win. Angelus stared down into her face, his lips twisting into a cunning smile. Yep, now that was a solid goal this time—not something rash and stupid like ending a world he loved to terrorize. He and Buffy could literally rule the demon world. Now _that_ was priceless…

Totally oblivious to her lovers' nefarious thoughts, Buffy gasped, eyes springing open at his abrupt invasion of her body. "Oh God!" she gasped, her tiny hands landing on his shoulders, nails digging in hard as he buried himself inside her over and over again, driving deeper each time. Buffy moaned, tossing her head side to side as he hooked an arm under her knee and brought her leg up high, putting her heel behind his neck for better penetration. Her head swam as he angled his hips so that he hit her G-spot and clit on each down-thrust, driving into her hard and fast. His fingers weren't idle either. She heaved deep ragged breaths, panting like a marathon runner when he played with her clit, tweaking her nubbin and making her cling to him like he was the last life preserver on a sinking ship. "Harder—faster!" she begged breathlessly and he complied, driving into her like a man (vampire) on a mission.

They moved together in perfect rhythm. Angelus gripped the ankle of her other leg and brought it up over his shoulder so he could really go deep. He needed her to be one with him. Buffy cried out as his impressive cock butted against her womb, making her see stars. It was insanely good, like they were made for each other and as Angelus drove into her again and again both of the lovers' raced closer and closer to release.

"Yes-yes-oh-oh God!" she moaned, raking her nails down his back to grab his ass, pushing him as far into her as he could go. Her belly clenched and tiny electric currents raced along her spine, her eyes snapped shut and Buffy clung to him. It was almost too much, but she was so close…just a little more and she'd be there.

Angelus buried his face in her neck. He was hanging on (by a thread) to his control until he made her lose hers. "Come for me," he bit out, nibbling at the flesh of her newly reopened scar. Immediately her muscles contracted around him and the first shudders of her imminent climax rippled along his cock. "Yes…that's it. Come for me, Buff," he groaned, biting down on that puckered flesh hard enough to draw blood, just enough for a taste, but not enough for a meal.

That did it. He'd rushed her up the mountain, ran her to the cliff and tossed her over the edge. She was flying high and Buffy sobbed her release to the heavens as her toes curled and her orgasm washed over her in wave after wave of sheer ecstasy. It was insanely good—almost too good. And despite her reservations it was in that moment that Buffy finally accepted (into her body) the demon, who, despite his evil ways, had branded her as his just as thoroughly as the beautiful soul she'd given her heart to.

****B/Aus**xx**B/Aus**xx**B/Aus**xx**B/Aus**xx**B/Aus****

Willow stumbled out of the room her and Oz had ended up in. Her head was pounding. Magic was everywhere and it actually hurt to breathe. She made her way to the bathroom and opened the door. What she saw there caused her to stare open mouthed; Julie, the girl Xander had been talking to earlier was inside hacking off her hair with a straight razor.

"Julie, are you okay?"

"No! I'm bad. Bad-bad-bad-bad-bad," the girl was muttering, chopping and muttering, chopping and muttering. She barely spared Willow a glance as she slashed at what was left of her dark hair.

Nonplussed, Willow gaped. Something was very wrong in this place. "Julie," Willow tried again, speaking softly, holding her hand out in much the same way one would approach a spooked horse or frightened puppy. "Oh boy," Willow said as the girl cut off a huge chunk of hair and let it fall to the floor. "I really wish you'd stop that, cutting off your hair isn't going to help," she said, trying to get the girls' attention to her and off making herself bald.

Julie turned and raised the razor, pointing at Willow. "But I'm bad." Her eyes were dilated and she had a wild look to them, but the smile that crept across her face was what really gave Willow the wiggins. Julie took a small step towards Willow, waving the straight edge at her, "Are you bad too?"

Willow shook her head emphatically, taking a hasty step back as she advanced. "Me?" she squeaked, holding her hands up to ward off the approaching lunatic. "Oh no. I'm good as good as can be I dress in fuzzy sweaters and I've never even cheated on a test." She was babbling, but having a razor pointed at you by a half bald, possessed, crazy person tended to make her go all babbling girl. "See all good, now why don't you put the razor down and we could…I dunno talk or something…maybe get you to a really good stylist."

Julie lunged for her and Willow screamed, raising her hands in a classic defensive pose. Her eyes clenched shut, terrified she was about to feel the slice of the blade cutting into her flesh, but instead she felt a burst of energy flew from her fingertips. The power of it made Willow stumble, but it sent Julie flying across the small space to slam into the wall behind her, knocking her unconscious. With eyes the size of saucers, Willow stared down at her hands as if seeing them for the first time. "Whoa," she said softly, swallowing hard, "That was…" she paused before a goofy grin suffused her features, "really cool…" she finished, almost patting herself on the back. She was quite pleased with herself until it dawned on her that there was a dorm full of 'Julies' and she really needed to find Buffy before everyone in it was on the same one way trip to crazy-town.

**Cut to inside Buffy's room:**

Buffy heard the scream and pulled her mouth away from Angelus' hungry kiss. "Was that Willow?"

Angelus rolled his hips, thrusting into her with long sure strokes. "I don't know," he panted, leaning down to nibble at her scar, "does it matter?"

Buffy's head fell back and a low moan fell from her lips. "No!" she gasped as his blunt teeth scraped along the puckered flesh of his mark. "Nothing matters but this…"

Angelus grinned. "That's my girl." He rolled them over so that she was on top. "Prove it," he said, giving her control for the first time.

Buffy braced her hands on his chest and started to ride him in earnest, swirling her hips on each downward thrust. "Mmmm…gladly," she breathed, closing her eyes as once again she got lost in the passion between them…

**Cut to another room:**

Anya and Xander were lying on the bed, kissing feverishly. Anya's bunny costume lay in a heap at the foot of the bed and the couple groped at each other, lost to the magick in the house, totally unmindful that the door was open and they were in a strangers' room. Xander was sliding his hand down the pair of little black gym shorts Anya had on under her costume when Willow screamed. He froze. Something about that high-pitched wail made his head snap up and the hairs on his neck rise. "That was Willow," he said, gasping for breath.

"How do you know it was Willow—sounded like just a girl to me," Anya said, trying to bring his lips back down to hers.

Xander pulled back, desperately trying to stop her from distracting him. There was something bad here. He tried to focus and not get swept away again. "No, that was—"

Just then Willow ran past the room, skidded to a stop and burst inside, slamming the door shit behind her. She made a *eeep* sound when she noticed Anya wasn't wearing her costume anymore.

Xander gave Anya a knowing smirk. "See, told you it was Willow." It dawned on him the position he and Anya were in and he sprang apart from her like she'd burned him. "Uh…here you might want this back now," he said, tossing Anya the shirt she'd had on. Anya gave him the evil-eye at being interrupted, but shrugged back into the tank. Xander flushed at being caught like that by Willow, but he quickly forgot his embarrassment when he noticed Willow's pale face and rapid, shallow breathing. "Um…Wills you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I've seen worse than that!" She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. "I've seen people doing things tonight that would make Faith blush!" she grouched, leaning against the door as she caught her breath.

Xander chuckled, "Wow, that bad, huh?"

Willow moved away from the door. "Yeah, and worse even. Have you guys seen Buffy?"

"No," Xander said, "we went to her room, but didn't hear anything."

"Did you knock and see if she was inside?"

Anya and Xander shared a guilty look, "Um…no, we uh kind-a got carried away."

Willow rolled her eyes until she remembered her own escapade earlier with Oz. She flushed. "Oh yeah, well…I can um…see how…um…that could happen what with all the crazy going on." She paused and got her bearings back. The urgency of the situation making itself clear when the door suddenly banged open and a dripping wet, naked guy stood there pulling at his hair and yelling about 'flower-power'!

The three of them gaped at him. The guy saluted them, pounded on his chest and ran off yelling "the flowers are coming!"

Xander jumped up from the bed. "Um…okaaay, did anyone but me find that disturbing?"

Willow's face was the shade of a ripe tomato. "See it's like I said, people are really starting to do the wacky."

"Yeah, I'm thinking we really need Buffy to kick some demon butt here before we're all running around like naked-guy over there."

Willow blushed, but nodded her head in agreement, Anya looked like she was about to protest, but just then a long green vine slithered up the wall behind her head and buried itself in her hair. She yelped and leapt from the bed as if bitten. The three of them stared in stunned silence as a few more vines crept along the walls.

Xander watched as the walls seemed to come alive with flora and fauna. "Alright, that's just weird—and kind of pretty too, but still weird." Xander sat on the edge of the bed and quickly slipped his shoes back on. Something tickled his back and he screamed, leaping off the bed like a frightened bunny. He glanced behind him, eyes bulging when a vine rose up and hovered right in front of his face like a cobra ready to strike. He took several quick steps back. "Okay, now I'm voting for we gotta get out of here!"

This time Anya didn't offer even a peep of argument and as one the three of them raced out the door and back towards Buffy and Willow's room.

**Cut to Buffy's room:**

The intermingled sounds of flesh on flesh, soft feminine cries and deep lusty growls were the only thing to be heard in the room. The couple on the bed was well into their sixth—maybe seventh round of all consuming bliss when the air got thick—almost wet with magick. Sweaty and half crazed with the all consuming need he had for her, Angelus thrust into Buffy hard, gripping her hip and holding onto her shoulder with his other hand as he took her from behind. "Fuck, I can't get enough of you," he bit out raggedly, wondering somewhere in the back of his mind if it was possible to combust from too much pleasure. Would he turn to ash? He didn't fucking care—he never wanted to leave her body—ever!

On her hands and knees before him, Buffy's fingers dug into the sheets of her bed as she looked over her shoulder at her lover. "Don't stop. Whatever you do…" She gasped and her words died in her throat when he hit that sweet spot again, "Oh God, just don't ever stop…" she wailed as he took her over the edge again.

Her walls clamped down on him and Angelus roared as his own orgasm was milked out of him by the fluttering of her body. He gave one last thrust and emptied whatever he had left inside her womb. His knees wobbled and he placed one hand flat against the wall behind her bed in order to not to collapse face first on top of her. He was exhausted, but he still wanted her. It was insane, but not surprising when you consider the magick.

It had become clear to him a while ago that there was something else, besides his (impressive) stamina, causing him and Buff to screw like horny bunnies. While he had enough energy to fuck her into next week—this kind of lust was supernatural, but he simply couldn't find it in himself to give a damn. He had her right where he wanted her and if they died like this, then so be it. At least he'd go out with a smile, he thought as he sagged next to her on the bed and pulled her body up and on top of his so that she was lying across his chest. "I have to touch you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Buffy placed tiny kisses along the sculpted muscles of his pecs. "I know. Me too." She swirled her tongue around his nipple, smiling when he gasped and it hardened to a little pebbly tip. "Mmmmm…nummy." She raised her head suddenly and her deep green eyes bore into his chocolate ones." Don't leave me. I couldn't take it again."

Before he could examine how to reply words were pouring from his mouth. "Never. I'll never leave you again. You're mine, Buff. I need you like I need blood and right now—the break we've just had is too long to not be inside you." He almost winced at the sap that was flowing from him. Where the hell had all that come from?

But Buffy ate it up. A blindingly white smile spread across her face and she hugged him, raining kisses over his face and lips. "I love you," she breathed and Angelus could almost swear he felt his heart beat right then.

An answering reply almost sprung forth. He bit his tongue—hard._ 'Fuck,'_ he thought_, 'maybe the magick in this room wasn't such a damned good thing after all…' _It dawned on him that his little speech from earlier was disgustingly reminiscent of the tripe Spike used to spew out. Just the thought made him grimace and a deep scowl formed on his brow. Yep—this magick had to go before he turned into a simpering poet spouting sonnets about the frigging color of her hair. Which reminded him of silk and sunshine, he observed, unconsciously running his hands through her long golden locks. In a flash he realized what he was doing and froze. "Oh fuck!" he growled, putting the brakes on both his hands and his runaway tongue. Just then a pounding started on the door and both Angelus and Buffy's head whipped about to stare at the door, but as quick as it started, the pounding stopped.

"What was that?"

Angelus could *feel* three frantic heartbeats right outside the door. His vampire instincts were screaming at him, the scent of fear was almost intoxicating, but something in this room didn't want them interrupted and that more than anything made him want to leave. He pushed Buffy off him and stood up. "Buff—we need to get out of here, lover."

Buffy, on the other hand had no desire to leave. Her eyes ate up his exquisitely formed naked body and the lust that had been sated only moments before flared to life once again. She rolled over on to her back and wantonly spread her legs for him. "You're too far away…come back to bed." Angelus' eyes were glued to her wet core and his cock immediately took notice, rising up and practically poking him in the eye with its desire to be inside her again. She took note of his erection and smirked, "I promise to make it worth wild…" she purred, letting her fingers slip down her belly and in between her thighs. He let out a deep growl as she started playing with herself—then and there, any thoughts of leaving his Slayer vanished.

"Fuck it…" he snarled, practically tackling her onto the bed. He grabbed both her wrists and pinned them above her head. "Don't you know it's dangerous to tease a vampire, lover?"

Buffy bucked her hips playfully, nudging his erection. "Who says I'm teasing?"

Angelus groaned and kissed her hard. If this was how he was going to end—then fuck it! He had everything he ever wanted right here and he might as well go out with a bang—literally!

**Cut to outside Buffy's room**

The door was locked and not by any bolt. Willow had attempted to use her key, but it wouldn't budge. No, this was a metaphysical lock and only the specific magical key could or would open it. They tried knocking—then pounding and screaming, all to no avail. Either Buffy and Angel weren't in there, or they were caught up in the magick and ignoring them. Either way, the Scoobies weren't getting in and they still couldn't reach Buffy and Angel. None of which were of the good.

"What now, o wise witchy-poo?" Xander quipped.

Used to Xander's use of humor in stressful situations, Willow ignored his comment. "Giles? Maybe he has an answer in one of his books for what this is."

"Hey anything as long as it gets us out of here," Xander said.

"Willow!"

Willow, Xander and Anya all turned to see Oz standing at the end of the hallway.

"Oz!" Willow cried, rushing over to him and hugging him tightly.

Oz returned the hug. "Where were you? I was worried about you."

"I went to the bathroom and ran into a whole peck of wacky."

He pulled back, making a face as he pointed out the madness that had become Stevenson Hall. "I've noticed. Where's Buffy?"

"We're pretty sure she's in her room with Angel having…uh…acts of nakedness and if anyone is interested I'm thinking cowering in a closet is looking pretty reasonable right now."

Oz nodded. "So we could be dealing with whatever this is and Angelus." He said it like he was stating the weather and Xander gaped at him.

"Uh..you do remember Angelus right? Crazy psycho vampire that has a fondness for power tools."

"But we don't know for sure that Buffy and Angel have released the curse right?" Oz asked.

"Right," Willow was quick to point out, shooting Xander a quelling look. "But we do know something weird is happening here so we were heading over to Giles' to see if he knew what this thing is."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Oz said.

Oz, Willow and Anya started to walk away. Xander frowned. "I said it was a plan too." They kept walking. "Cowering in a closet was my backup plan…" he called, but they never stopped. A gust of wind swept through the hallway and Xander gave a little squeak before rushing to catch up with the gang.

**Okay guys, there's chappie 4. I hope I got across what I wanted with Angelus here...He wants her-maybe even loves her, but was he too soft? I hope not. Click the little blue button and give some feedback, if you would. Loved it-hated it? Let musie know. I've starved the poor thing for four months and she ravenous! :) :) :) feed her and she'll feed me. Thanks again to everyone who takes the time to comment and review…it your response that drives musie and feeds my creativity. **

**On a personal note: It feels so good to be back! I had forgotten how cathartic writing is. Thanks for sharing this fic with me. :)**

**jen**


	5. Chapter 5

**Return to Sunnydale **

**A fic by: Jen**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: As you know I own nothing...Joss and WB own them all-but...on a terrible note-I heard WB is going to try and re-do BtVS without Joss! (gasp) Argghh! Okay...I will not rant here, but we all need to let them know this is not acceptable. BtVS is SMG as Buffy. DB as Angel. JM as Spike and so on and so forth. BUT first and foremost Buffy is Joss Whedon's creation and to even *try* and do it without him is-well, it's sacriligious is what it is! lol! What the hell are they thinking? Right? Right!**

**Okay-now I really am through with my rant. Sorry. Now, I really need to thank all of you. I felt so guilty because I have neglected so many fics here, but so many of you have welcomed me back with open arms and...well, it just means so much to me. Thank you all very, very much! I am going to absolutely do my best to give you the same honor by completing all my fics. I am working on Born of Darkness and hope to post a new chappie very soon. Then I will move on to SHG and so on...I am going to focus on one fic at a time so that I can complete them. Again, I can't tell you how much your support-well wishes and feedback mean to me. I really thought I was done writing and it broke my heart. Being back in the saddle feels great so I hope you're enjoying the ride as much as I am!**

**Okay-now, I'm going to hush and get on with the next chappie. right. :) :) :)**

**Jenna**

********************xoxoxoxo******************

**Chappie 5**

**Cut to Buffy's room:**

The room was dimly lit with a soft glow. It defied logic since the lamp was off and there wasn't a lit candle in sight. It was an eerie, supernatural glow that caused shadows to dance on the wall as the naked bodies of the lovers moved together, lost in each other. The magick in the air was oppressive at this point, but the couple on the bed didn't notice or care. They were completely enraptured with each other and it never occurred to them that they were providing the energy for both the glow and the magicks with the never ending need they had for one another.

Buffy clutched at Angelus' hair, pressing his face tighter to her as she ground her wet center against his face. "Yes-yes-yes!" she chanted as his talented lips, tongue and fingers drove her towards another powerful orgasm. Lying on his belly between her spread thighs Angelus swirled his tongue around her clit, alternating between sucking on her and using his tongue to penetrate her. She was so close. Her body poised on the edge. "Angelus…" she moaned and her fingers tightened in his short spiky locks, holding on for dear life as every nerve ending in her body tightened. Buffy's back arched off the bed. "Right…oh God…there!" she cried as her entire body convulsed with her release.

He pressed a hand on her belly keeping her still as she came, a grumbling snarl escaped him as her honeyed juices flooded his throat, causing a jolt of lust to shoot straight through him and right to his groin. He pumped his hips against the soft sheet, desperate for some sort of friction—relief for the raging hard on he was sporting. When he'd finally wrung every little nuance of reaction from Buffy, he moved up her body, nipping at her flesh and growling low in his throat like the predator he was. Once he'd settled himself between her thighs he wasted no time in plunging home, entering her with one quick thrust. They both groaned in pleasure as he buried himself inside her hot, wet sheath.

"Buff…" he panted, "So damn good…never want to stop."

Buffy's knees tightened around his hips as he started to move in her. "Then don't," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his broad back and clinging to him.

Once again they started the journey to nirvana, neither caring that the walls of the hall were crumbling around them—the only thing that mattered was the electric passion between them…

*****************************B/A-B/A-B/A-B/A*****************************

**Cut to Giles' house**

"When you called to Buffy and Angel, they didn't cry out or, or respond in any way?" Giles asked again, pacing.

Sitting at Giles' dining room table with the rest of the Scooby gang, Anya rolled her eyes, looking bored. "No, but they're probably dead."

Xander shot her a look, "Unless they're too busy doin' it to answer.?"

Giles sat down at the table across from Xander. "Doing what?" he asked.

Xander gave him an 'are you kidding me?' look. "You know, for a guy that used to go by the name 'The Ripper' you're ... kind of naïve."

Giles rolled his eyes. "I didn't think you meant—" he paused, frowning, "In the midst of such disturbance, do you really think they're doing…that?

Xander snorted, but Willow looked at him, flushing and answered quietly, "Well, see, that's the thing. People all over the party were starting to act…weird."

Giles took his glasses off and began to polish them. "In what way?"

Willow's cheeks turned an even brighter shade of pink. "You know…sexually," she added with a whisper, looking like she wanted a hole to open and swallow her up.

Giles' mouth hung open for a split second before he harrumphed and put his glasses back on. "Oh, well then..." he said, dropping the line of questioning. "I suppose it could be some form of succubus, or perhaps a satyr's prank. We should do some research on the Hall and the ground it was built upon."

"_Or_ it could just be some big bad pile of evil," Xander cut in, "because this is the Hellmouth and we all know how all things evil seem to have this on their vacation planner each year!" He glanced around the group. "So, is anyone but me contemplating cowering in a corner thinking about the Buffster and Angel holed up in that room?" Giles hurrumphed again and Willow looked away. "I mean, c'mon we all know what happens if Buffy gives dead-boy a happy…"

Willow sighed dejectedly, "You know I'm actually hoping this is nothing more than a big-burstin poltergeist."

Giles handed them each a book. "Yes, I think we all need to keep every possibility in mind, but since we can't get into the room, I suggest we find out what's happening before we are forced to deal with Angelus again…"

Just the thought of the demon that'd terrorized them all had everyone at the table cracking the books.

A few hours later and an ungodly amount of research, Willow finally found something. "Hey, look at this guys, I think I may know what's causing all the…you know—lust bunnies at Stevenson." The group as a whole looked up and waited for her to continue. She pointed to a passage she'd been reading in a book about the history of Sunnydale. "Stevenson Hall was built in the same spot where a notorious brothel used to be. The owner apparently was arrested, tried and then hung for practicing witchcraft." Willow shuddered at the thought before he began to recite the passage. "Madame Sophia Tuscmano, a Romanian immigrant was arrested—"

That got Giles' attention. "She was a Rom?"

"Mmm-hmm, as in Gypsy." She started reading again, "anyhow the gist of this is that she ran the brothel from 1905 to 1929 when she was arrested and according to this…when the place was searched by local authorities they found not only dozens of human remains, but all kinds of torture devices, altars and books on the occult and witchcraft."

"And _that,_ my friends, is why she was executed," Xander quipped.

Willow scowled at him. "Hey, I have books on witchcraft and the occult. Should I be strung up and put on display like some ghoulish piñata?"

Xander had the good grace to look sheepish. "Um, no, sorry Wills."

Willow grimaced, "But then again I don't have any human remains buried under my house." She glanced at Giles. "So how do we get rid of her ghost?"

Giles got up and poured himself a cup of tea. "Did any of you see a ghost or spirit?" They all shook their heads no. "Then we really don't know if it's Sophia haunting the Hall or a manifestation of the angry souls of her victims…"

"How do we find out?" Anya asked. "I mean without going back there."

Giles leveled his gaze on her. "We don't. We have to go back. That is the only way we can conclude whether it's a ghost haunting the hall or a cluster of poltergeists. Either way I believe that whoever or whatever is behind this ordeal is drawing it's energy from Buffy and Angel." He paused, grimacing with distaste, "feeding on them in fact."

Xander made a *blech* sound. "Great, so they're the battery in the boo factory. How do we stop it all?"

"We must bind the spirits. It's the only way." Giles glanced at Willow. "Are you prepared for this?"

Willow nodded, remembering the power she'd felt earlier when Julie had attacked her. "Yeah," she said confidently, "I think I am."

Giles gave her an encouraging smile. "Good."

Xander sat up suddenly as if a thought had just occurred to him and apparently it had because he turned to Giles and asked, "Hey here's a funny question, what happens if the battery gets drained? Will they all just go away?"

Giles hesitated answering the question and the Scoobies all squirmed in their chairs completely sure the answer was not going to be one they were going to like. "No. Buffy and Angel will…" he paused, trying to find the right way to say whatever he was trying to say.

"They'll…what?" Xander prompted.

"They'll die," the ex-Watcher replied ominously.

**B/A-B/A-B/A-B/A**

**Buffy's room:**

Angelus had begun to wonder if a vampire could die from sheer overstimulation. He had never, in all his years, been as wired and sexually charged as he was here in this room with Buff. He simply could not get enough of her, and while fucking her five or maybe even six times in one night wouldn't have fazed him a bit—they were way-way past that amount, yet they couldn't stop touching, kissing, screwing. It was like he_ had _to touch her. _Had _to be inside her. Angelus did not like feeling this out of control, but there wasn't a damn thing he could do about. It was, simply put, beyond his control.

He barely gave Buffy a breather before he was rolling her underneath him again. "I need you," he growled and pushed his cock into her slippery channel. She moaned and he wondered if she was in pain—they'd certainly fucked each other raw, but when she immediately lifted her hips to take more of him, his concern flew right out the window at her eager response. He groaned softly and buried himself all the way to the hilt. He cupped her face in his big hands, brushing a kiss across her swollen lips. "I never want to leave this room," he told her, brushing her tangled hair back from her face.

Buffy beamed at him. His words were everything she'd ever wanted. With a soft sigh, she buried her hands in his hair and brought his head down for another tender kiss. "Then don't. Stay with me…forever," she said softly.

"Forever." Angelus gave a soft purr. "I like the sound of that," he replied, trying to keep in mind the plan he'd had in mind when he first started this marathon of lust. But the pull to have her alive and warm overrode his desire to turn her and when she dug her tiny heels into the base of his spine and urged him to move, all thoughts of his hidden agenda fled as Angelus once again gave in to his need to be one with his Slayer.

************************B/A-B/A-B/A-B/A*************************

**Downstairs in the cafeteria:**

Giles waited for Willow to smooth the red table cloth upon one of the tables before carefully placing the remaining candles he held on top of the cloth. He arranged the four white candles so that they were at each corner of the table. "North, South, East and West," he said to Willow as he laid the last one down. They could hear the commotion upstairs. It was the insanity of people running amok and it added a sense of urgency to the ritual.

Willow picked up a red candle and placed it in the center of the table, directly in the middle of the white ones. "Red is for passion…" she whispered, lighting the candles, "the emotion at the center of this magick."

The five of them took their seats around the table. Willow and Giles; being the only true magical ones, sat opposite each other. Since Oz and Anya were both supernatural beings, they sat with Anya next to Giles and Oz next to Willow. Xander was in between Anya and Oz as the human link.

"Join hands," Willow said softly. Xander looked nervous, but did as she asked. A soft breeze blew Willow's hair back and as one the group felt the magick in the air. "Spirits of the past, be guided by our light. Come forth and be known to us," Willow said.

Giles spoke next. "We implore you find it in your hearts to leave our friends passage."

Another breeze, this one stronger than the last blew through the room. A low hum filled the room and the flames of the candles flickered. The Scoobies shivered, spines tingling as a presence invaded the room with them. It was something dark, but passionate. Willow closed her eyes and let herself go. "I feel your pain. Transform it. Release your past." The hairs on everyone in the room stood on end and the table rattled.

"Okay-officially creeped out," Xander muttered.

Giles silenced him with a look.

Willow hadn't even noticed. She was deep in the magick. "I know you feel justified, but my friend has done nothing to you. Let her go. Let them go." The table shook hard and Willow's hair swirled around her as a fierce wind howled throughout the dorm. The candle flames leapt to life, flaring high as if gasoline was poured on them. The spirit was fighting it. Willow was just as determined. "I demand it!" the red-headed witch shouted. A clap of thunder echoed throughout the room, but Willow didn't seem to notice. "Now!" she insisted.

Seeing the spirit was resisting, Giles gripped Willow's hand tighter, blending his magick with hers. "You cannot stay here. Let them go! We demand you let them go!" Another room shaking burst of thunder was accompanied by a bolt of lightning that sounded like it was in the room with them. The wind was so fierce, it blew at them from all sides, howling with it's ferocious intensity, but the candles blazed higher and higher, drawing from Willow and Giles' magick.

As their combined force manifested, students from upstairs started to rush down the stairs. Their screams were heard, even above the wind, as they rushed out the door. Giles glanced to Oz, Xander and Anya. The spirit was fighting them-now was the time to go after Buffy. "Go," he yelled, his voice carrying over the shrieking sound of the wind, "we only have a few minutes. Get Buffy and Angel and we'll keep the spirits here."

Xander, Anya and Oz all raced from the room, dodging the people racing down the stairs as they were heading up them. They made it to the second story and turned to head for Buffy's room when a vine grabbed Oz's ankle and tripped him. He landed chin first with a thud. Xander pulled out his pocket knife and cut his ankle free. "Thanks," Oz said, scrambling to his feet and making his way, a bit more cautiously, towards Buffy's door.

Xander and Anya followed closely behind him, stomping and cutting at any vines that tried to hinder their progress. They finally made it to Buffy's door, but found it still barred. Xander twisted the handle, trying desperately to get it open, but it wouldn't give. The magick still flowing through the dorm kept it sealed tight.

*****B/A**B/A***B/A***B/A*****

Outside, the commandos were trying to herd the wild group of magically induced revelers to safety.

Riley jumped out of the way as Julie rushed past him, still holding her razor and screaming about being bad.

Graham shook his head as a couple fell on the grass, kissing and making out. "What do you make of this?"

Riley shrugged. "Supernatural, yeah, but not hostiles, so it's not my area of expertise. I say we round up as many of these way too happy people and get them home, then we report back to Walsh."

Graham agreed. He turned to Forest. "You heard the man, let's get these people home before someone manages to actually hurt themselves in this little love-fest."

Forest turned to the commandos. "Round em up and get an address if you can." He spotted a naked couple running past the team, "and maybe some clothes too."

Riley glanced to Graham. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long night."

Graham nodded. "If only there was popcorn…"

They both shared a laugh before going after the stragglers that were still stumbling around in front of the Hall.

*********************B/A-B/A-B/A-B/A**********************

**Cut to inside the Hall. **

Willow and Giles were channeling all their energy on keeping the spirits locked in the room with them. The table started to rise and Willow got to her feet, still clinging to Giles' hands. "Enough!" she screamed. "You've had your fun!" The power radiating off the red-headed witch was immense and Giles shuddered as it traveled from her up his arms, raising the tiny hairs at the back of his neck. Willow's eyes snapped open, glowing bright green with the energy she was producing. "My friend is good. She's a champion-so is he!" A voice screamed uninteligible noises, but Willow seemed to understand it. She raised her chin and glared at the ceiling. "It wasn't him! Whatever happened in the past—get over it!" she shouted.

The candles on the table flared to life, the flames blazing until they were nearly a foot high. The wind howled loudly in response and then al of a sudden everything stopped. The candles died and the wind ceased. It was eerily silent until the table dropped back to the ground with a bang.

Giles looked around the room as Willow collapsed back into her chair.

"Is it over? Is she gone?" Willow asked tiredly.

"She?" Giles asked, but Willow was depleted and she looked exhauisted. Giles decided to save his questions for later. The air was no longer thick and the presence that had been overwhelming just moments before was noticeably absent. The ex-watcher ran a shaking hand down his face. "You know, I think it or she is," he replied, staring at Willow, more than a little curious and stunned at the power he'd just witnessed in the girl.

*****B/A***B/A***B/A***B/A*****

Upstairs the group noticed the howling had stopped. Xander leaned a shoulder against the door, still twisting the handle, when all of a sudden it gave way. He grunted as he stumbled forward, Willow, Oz and Anya falling on top of him when, as a group, they all tumbled willy-nilly into the room to land in a tangled heap on the floor. There were muttered curses as they attempted to disentangle themselves. Anya was the first to get free. She was also the first to notice the naked figures of Buffy and Angelus; frozen mid-coitus on the bed.

Her eyes roamed over Angelus' naked physique appreciatively."Well, I guess that answers the question on did they or didn't they."

Buffy yelped and dove for the covers, scrambling to cover both herself and her lover.

It was in that exact instant that Angelus groaned, clutched at his chest and let out a string of curses as he realized what was happening. "No! It can't be!" he gasped, feeling the soul being shoved back into his body. A million angry thoughts ran through his head as he realized he'd blown his chance to have Buff all to himself."God dammit!" He snarled and lunged for her, startling the golden Slayer and the rest of the gang with the sudden violence. Quick as a hiccup, Buffy scooted back and Angelus' grasping hand fell short. He gave one last lunge for her, but it wasn't enough. Buffy was safely out of his reach. With a snarl he fell forward across the bed, his nude body twitching for a moment before going completely slack.

Buffy stared down at him in stunned silence. The dazed fog she'd been under slowly lifted and horror dawned quick and severe like a train wreck. It hit Buffy hard and her stomach clenched at the realization that she'd spent half the day up here screwing Angelus. Not Angel.

"Oh God," she whimpered, covering her mouth with her hand. "What have I done?"

For once Xander kept his smart-assed comments to himself and for that Buffy was enormously relieved. She wasn't sure how she'd deal if he spewing venom.

Willow had an idea what had happened, but she looked more sad than anything. "We can recurse him," she said quickly.

Buffy gave Willow a grateful smile. "Okay. Good. I have chains." Her eyes darted to the manacles still attached to the headboard. "I'll get him secured." She glanced at her friends. "Um...can you give me a sec?"

Xander looked torn. On one hand, he didn't want her alone in the room with Angelus, but on the other hand, he could see she really needed them all to go away. He sighed, "Are you okay, Buff?"

She looked completely distraught, but she managed to straighten her shoulders and nod. "I'll be fine," she answered, tucking the sheet tighter around her nude body. "I just need to get dressed and then we can do this."

"C'mon guys," Oz said, giving Xander a pointed look. The dark haired boy nodded and together the Scoobies exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind them.

Buffy immediately went to work securing Angel to the bed. As soon as she had him chained up, the tears she'd been fighting broke loose and she stumbled from the bed, sobbing brokenly as she staggered across the room to her closet. She was just finishing dressing when Angel stirred.

He inhaled a huge gasping breath and attempted to bolt straight up in the bed, but the chains kept him flat on his back and he shook his head, trying to shake off the cobwebs that were clouding his memories. The chains rattled as he tried again to move. "What the…?" He glanced up and noticed he was chained up. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes darting around the room before finally landing on Buffy. "Buffy, what's going on? Why am I chained up?"

Buffy fidgeted, hovering just out of harms way, staring at him intently. She worried her bottom lip, hoping what she was seeing was true, but terrified it was simply a trick the demon was playing on her. "A-Angel?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?" he answered, looking dazed and confused. He stared at her. "Did I do something to you?" he asked, looking worried and heart-sick. Buffy's heart leapt as she recognized the soul in those beautiful brown orbs, but just as she started to smile, Angel blinked and grimaced as images started to assail him from all sides. Memories from the demon. "Oh no…" he breathed, sagging back on the bed and closing his eyes. "He was here. He—you—oh God," he groaned, "How did this happen?"

Buffy rushed over to the bed and knelt down beside him. "He didn't hurt me, Angel," she reassured him, though her face was flushing at the memories of all the things she'd done with the soulless demon. Still, he hadn't attempted to actually hurt her. "It was the magick. He—we—" Buffy's face flamed and she lowered her eyes, "well it kind 'a took us over, but he didn't hurt me. You didn't hurt me," she clarified, "so please don't do the whole beating yourself up thingy." She stroked his cheek with one hand while fishing for the key to the chains with the other. Once he was free she scooted under him and rested his head in her lap, brushing his hair back from his face while she gazed down at him lovingly. "Angel…say something please." He was silent and Buffy bit her lip again as tears welled in her eyes. "Are you…mad at me?" she asked, heart racing as she waited for his answer.

Angel opened his eyes and stared at her. His hand rose and he cupped her cheek. "No, Buffy. I'm not mad…" He frowned, "A little jealous maybe," he said with a slight shrug and smirk, "but not mad. You kept him here and he didn't hurt anybody. Thank you. I really don't know what I would have done if he'd killed someone." He shook his head. "I really thought—" He paused, "never mind, it's obvious no matter what, you will always be his ticket free, Buffy." He disentangled himself from her sadly. "I—" His throat closed up and he looked stricken, but he forced the words out. "I can't trust myself around you. I thought I could, but it's pretty obvious now that I can't." Angel rose from the bed, averting his eyes so that he wouldn't have to witness the heartbreak that he just knew was written all over Buffy's face. "I have to go. I'm sorry,' he said again, awkwardly gathering up his scattered clothes as quickly as possible.

Buffy's heart thundered as she watched him retreat farther and farther away from her, both emotionally and physically. She wanted to tell him to stop and talk to her, but she couldn't seem to get the words past the grief that was threatening to overwhelm her at any moment. She stuffed her fist into her mouth to keep the sounds at bay. She couldn't watch as he tugged his pants on, tossed on his shirt and escaped from her room as if she was about to stake him. He hadn't even bothered putting on his boots in his haste to get away from her. Once the door was closed, Buffy fell apart. With a sob, she collapsed onto her bed, curled herself into a fetal position and let the tears go. '"Great," she cried quietly, "like I needed, another gut-wrenching Angel trauma to add to my mental scrapbook." She clutched her pillow to her chest and buried her nose in it. It smelled like him. She breathed in his scent, wishing it were him, aching. Sobbing brokenly, Buffy clung to the pillow, clutching it as if it were a life-line. "Oh God…" she whimpered, silently wondering if she was being punished for giving in to the demon so easily…

Outside her door Angel sagged against the wall beside Buffy's room. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth against the absolute sorrow washing over him. His knees wobbled and he slid to the floor as the memories of both himself and Angelus making love to Buffy replayed themselves in his head. A part of him was stunned at the tenderness the demon had shown her, but then again, Angel had always suspected Angelus felt more for her than he let on. It was the reason and only logical explanation for why he never really tried to kill her when he returned a couple of years ago. Angel firmly believed that Angelus, in his own way, loved Buffy too.

And for once the demon didn't howl and snarl at the thought. Angel took a shuddering breath and got to his feet. Despite Angelus' obvious infatuation with Buffy, it was also fresh in Angel's mind what the demon had planned for her. He wanted to make her a monster and that was something Angel would never-ever let happen. He'd stake himself first!

Slowly, shoulders slumped with heartbreak Angel made his way down the now deserted and utterly wrecked hallways of Stevenson Hall. He looked like a man walking to his execution and in a way he was. Leaving her behind was like cutting out his own heart—that would actually be preferable considering the damned thing didn't beat anyhow! Making his way down the stairs, Angel paused and looked up one last time. He desperately wanted to rush back upstairs and hold her, kiss her just one last time, but it would only be harder when he had to leave her again. He swallowed hard, almost choking on the tears that wanted to fall before he pulled himself together and exited the hall without looking back…

****************B/A-B/A-B/A-B/A****************

**Two Weeks later**:

Willow was buzzing with energy when she bounded into her and Buffy's room. "Buffy!" she called out, startling her roommate who was curled up on her bed, holding her pillow, as she'd done every day the last two weeks, fighting back tears that wouldn't seem to go away.

Buffy bolted upright, quickly wiping her eyes to get rid of her tears. "Wills, are you okay?" The witch looked ready to burst and Buffy instantly went into Slayer mode. Leaping from the bed she grabbed Mr. Pointy from her nightstand. "Is it a vampire?"

Willow grinned and pointed to the window where sunlight streamed in. "It's three in the afternoon. Unless it's a vampire that likes to tan, I don't think so."

Buffy looked sheepish. "Oh…right." She put the stake away and climbed back into bed. "I guess it was too much to ask for something to take my mind off the…'you know who' situation."

Buffy had been so sad since Angel had blown into town and left just as quickly, that Willow was determined to do something to help her. It killed the red-head to see Buffy so broken and since the news she had just might end her friends' depression, Willow couldn't hold back her excitement any longer. "I think I can bind Angel's soul!" she said quickly.

It took Buffy a second to process what her best friend had said, but once it sunk in she jumped back out of bed. "Really? How? When? Are you sure?" she asked, running the question all together.

Willow pulled a huge, old and weathered book from her backpack. "Look at this," she said, sitting on the edge of Buffy's bed. "I found it in the library under historical artifacts."

Buffy leaned over Willow's shoulder to get a closer look at the book. "What is it?"

Willow beamed up at her. "Sophia's journal."

Buffy's brow drew down in a puzzled frown. "How can that help?"

Willow carefully opened the book and slowly turned the delicate pages until she found what she was looking for. "Sophia was a Rom. Remember...it was her spirit doing the wacky a couple of weeks ago."

Buffy made an *um-hmm* sound before looking away. "How can I forget?" she said sadly. It was a day Buffy would never-ever forget. One tended to remember the day that was both the very best and very worst day of your entire life!

"I know, Buffy, but you're missing my point. Angel was cursed by the Rom, right?"

Buffy shrugged as she sat next to Willow on the bed. "Okay, still not seeing the big-yip, we've already re-cursed him before..."

"But I've never had this before, either." Willow said, holding up the journal. She pointed to a page. "See that?" Buffy nodded. "Okay, well that's the curse that restores Angel's soul. I recognize the words."

"Are you saying you can permanenetly bind his soul from that?"

"No," Willow said turning the page. She pointed to another spell written there. "I can bind it from this." She glanced up at the Slayer. "I didn't get it at first, but Sophia kept saying he wasn't supposed to come back. It never should've happened once he found the Slayer."

Buffy gave Willow a blank stare. "Huh?"

"I know. Vague much?" Willow said, but then she smiled and pointed to a passage from the journal. "But then I found this and that's what got my witchy motor revving."

Buffy leaned over her shoulder again. "And that is...?" she prompted, totally not understanding the language. "I skipped all things Latin, you know."

Excitement humnmed in Willow as she said, "It's the second part of the curse, Buffy. It's the part that keeps the soul bound to the body once he finds true love. I don't know if they neglected to add it on purpose or they just forgot it when they cursed Angelus…but I'm leaning towards it being an accident since the loophole only kicks in if he finds 'perfect-happiness'" She sighed dramatically, "and what could be more perfect than true love, right?"

Buffy's eyes widened, her heart began to thunder in her chest and a flash of sheer longing washed over her at even the thought that this might actually work. "Wills, you're serious?" she breathed, a catch in her throat. "Can you really do this?"

Willow nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Yep, I'm sure, Buffy." She tapped the page, "This little puppy will keep Angelus from ever coming back. No matter how happy Angel gets. He can go bonkers with the happy and Angelus won't show...at least not after I do this spell!"

For just a moment Buffy felt a twinge of remorse at that. Angelus truly hadn't hurt her when he'd appeared. He'd made her scream yes, but in pleasure—not pain, but she was also aware that the magick that had been unleashed on them that day most likely had more than just a little to do with that. She was also pretty sure Angelus had wanted to turn her and that was something she could never allow. A vampire Slayer would be lethal and Buffy would rather die than become the creature she hunted every night. With that thought in mind she pushed aside her lingering feelings for the demon and focused on Willow's plan. For just an instant she looked stunned, but as it finally set in, the heartbreak of the last two weeks receded and Buffy began to smile again.

"Okay, so when can you do it?" she asked, more than a little breathless at the prospect of a fully soulful and able to 'get happy' Angel.

Willow got up from the bed and grabbed her back pack again. "I figured you'd be eager so..." She rummaged around for a minute before pulling something from the pack, "I picked up the supplies on my way home," she announced, holding up a bag from the magick shop.

Buffy jumped up from the bed and spontaneously hugged her friend. "Have I told you lately you're the best?"

"Once or twice..." Willow said, hugging her back. "But it's like comfort food...it never gets old!" she teased, before plopping down, cross legged on the floor. She spread a dark red cloth on the floor in front of her before she began to unload her supplies.

Buffy gave a wobbly smile, blinking back the joyous tears that were welling in her eyes. Taking a deep breath she tucked her hair behind her ears as she sat down opposite Willow. "So what do we do? Can I help—or is this a Buffy hands off kind of project?"

Willow began to set up the ritual. Putting out the candles and setting a small bowl in front of her before pulling out several small plastic bags filled with various herbs. "Actually," she said, setting a lighter down next to the tall white pillar candle in the middle, "you can help. I need something of Angel's. Something personal. Do you still have anything of his like that?"

Buffy nodded and leapt to her feet. She went to her dresser and opened the top drawer. She retrieved something from inside. "I found this. It must have broke when we—" She paused, putting her hands behind her back. Her face flushed red and she stumbled a bit over her words. "When we were…you know," she whispered, blushing even further. "I meant to send it to him, but…well…" She fidgeted, still holding the item behind her back, "but I kind 'a wanted to keep it too. It's all I have left." Buffy gave a sheepish smile. "Pretty sad, huh?"

Willow shook her head. "Good thing you did. What is it?"

Buffy crossed the room and handed her the ring. "It's his Claddagh ring. He was wearing it on a chain and I accidentally yanked it off him…" Buffy swallowed thickly. "It matches the one he gave me on my seventeenth birthday, when he told me it meant he belonged to me and I belonged to him," she finished raggedly. A silent tear trailed down her cheek and Buffy absently wiped it away, smiling softly at the beautiful memory.

Willow's eyes lit up. "Buffy do you still have your ring?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just get it."

Buffy went to her dresser and opened her jewelry box. She lifted the red velvet lining and found the little clump of silver she kept tucked away inside. She pulled out the mangled ring. It had been destroyed, but it was well worth it, since it was this symbol of their love that had brought him back to begin with. She handed to Willow. "It's a little twisted, but it used to look just like his."

Willow nodded, turning the ring over in her palm. There was something...the witch could feel a power in the ring and then she gasped, "Wait...Goddess! Buffy is this the ring that you said must have brought him back from hell?"

"Um...yeah. I'd left it in the same spot where he returned to and when he came back I found it all...mangly like that," Buffy answered quietly.

Willow nodded. If possible she looked even more excited. "It's perfect then," she said, placing it in the bowl next to Angel's larger ring. "Since Angel's happiness is tied to you so intricately I'm going to use these rings as symbols of your love for him to make the spell twice as powerful," she explained.

Buffy reclaimed her position opposite her friend. "How are you going to do that? I'm a wiz at the Slayage, but as far as the magicks are concerned—just color me clueless."

"You don't need to be a witch. I'm channeling your feelings for him. All you have to do is love Angel for this to work."

Buffy chuckled huskily. "Well, that's easy. Like I've ever had a choice." Willow shot her a look and Buffy sighed, "Sorry. Not trying to be bitter." She made a face. "Look, no bitterness here. Nope, none at all." Willow couldn't help the smile as Buffy rushed on nervously, "Okay so we got the love covered...what's next?"

"Now I mix the herbs and prepare the spell."

"Goody. Herb mixing," Buffy said, watching avidly as Willow got the ritual ready. She tried to keep a right reign on her emotions, but her heart was racing. If this actually worked… Buffy took a deep breath. God, she had a million questions, but she refrained from asking them. She didn't want anything to distract Willow from doing this right.

When Willow was done she took Buffy's hand. "I want you to think about Angel. Remember what it felt like when you first fell in love with him. Everything, even the fears you have. Let it all out, Buffy. Let your love for him fly free. It'll help the power of the spell."

For the first time in years Buffy let every tiny bit of love she had for her dark vampire loose. She remembered the first time she met him in that alleyway. She re-lived their first kiss which led to her discovering he was a vampire. She thought back on the first time they made love—how patient and sexy he had been, teaching her things about her body that still got her all hot and bothered if she dwelled on them and she for the first time in forever, she did. She let herself remember every wonderful and some not so wonderful moment she spent with Angel. The Prom came to mind and a smile curved her lips. Gah…He'd looked so delicious in that tux and she'd been stunned to see him. Stunned, but in a good way. He'd even danced with her. She started to hum…swaying as the song from her prom popped into her head. Wild Horses. It was a beautiful song and apropos. Not even Angel leaving her could drag her heart away from him…she loved him today as much as she did when she first fell. Maybe even more.

Willow's eyes welled with tears as she recognized the song Buffy was humming. Quietly she began to recite the spell, she reached for Buffy's hand and was overwhelmed for a moment by the emotion the Slayer was putting out. If Willow had ever-ever doubted Buffy's true and deep love for Angel, she didn't anymore. Buffy was a veritable hum of energy. Willow channeled it and all at once she felt a surge of power. Her eyes widened and she spoke rapidly, repeating the Romany words flawlessly. The room shook, things tumbled from shelves, but Willow never stopped. When she said the last words a burst of light flew up from the bowl, swirled around the room and then *poof* it disappeared in a small flash of dissipating energy.

Buffy glanced around the room looking for the little ball of light. "Um…was it supposed to disappear?"

"Angel should be feeling it right about now," she said with a small, tired smile. Willow was a bit drained. She went to stand and stumbled. Buffy immediately got to her feet and helped her friend to her bed to lie down.

"Will he know?"

"No," Willow replied. "You'll have to tell him."

"Great," she muttered. "What if he doesn't believe me?"

Willow handed Buffy the rings. Hers was perfect again, down to the last etching of the crown, except now it had a red stone where the heart was. Buffy gasped when she saw her ring. "What? How did this happen?"

Willow shrugged. "Magick."

"But…" Buffy started, noticing Angel's ring had a red stone in the heart now too.

"Buffy love is magical too." She took both of Buffy's hands in hers. "You and Angel…definitely magick,"she whispered, "trust me. No one would have ever believed a vampire Slayer would fall in love with a vampire. It's so tragic, yet with you and Angel…it works." The red headed witch sighed, "It's poetic almost."

Buffy had started to cry again. "Thank you, Willow," she said, her heart in her throat.

Willow's eyes suddenly drooped. The spell had begun to take it's toll. "Just go get your vampire, Buffy and be happy." She gave the Slayer an encouraging smile, "especially now that he can...be happy that is."

Buffy almost skipped across the room. Within moments she'd packed a bag and was heading out the door. "I'm going to L.A. Don't wait up,' she added with a giggle.

"I may not be awake when you leave," Willow teased back.

Buffy opened the door, but paused before leaving. "Thanks again, Wills. I can't tell you—" She choked up again, "well you know how much this means to me."

"I do and you're welcome," Willow murmured, yawning. Buffy watched as her eyes drifted closed and the Slayer smiled at the witch fondly before heading out the door, ready and eager to claim her man.

*******B/A*****B/A*****B/A*******

**Well guys, hope you liked this part. Angel is back-I know, I know...sorry about the guilt, but it's Angel...right? lol! Anyhow, the next part will be some serious B/A lovin. I think you all will be very happy with it considering I'm sure all you B/A fans out there have to LOVE the AtS epi I did it around. I'll give ya all three guesses and the first two don't count. Hint: best Angel epi ever and it contains one of my fave B/A moments of all time...**

**Okay-okay...give musie some love so she feeds me. I'm really trying to get BoD done. Tell her what you think-the fatter the beeyatch is the more she puts out! lol! JK.**

**hugs to all of ya...**

**Jen**


	6. Chapter 6

**Return to Sunnydale **

**A fic by: Jenna**

**Rating: Definitely NC-17**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, so please don't sue me. I just like to take them out—play with them and then put them away again…hopefully satisfied! lol!**

**A/N: Okay, first and as always, thank you for the reviews. It just amazes me and humbles me at how you all like my work. I'd really thought I was through with writing…but you've inspired me! Thank you! You're all so incredibly awesome! I will work on getrting out replys to reviews this week...I do want you all to know though...I read them all and they truly inspire me, so again...thank you.**

**Now, I need to give a few shout outs…I'm sure a lot of you have read them, but if you haven't; frosty600's Dark Release re-writes are absolutely amazing! She weaves Angelus into Buffy seamlessly. Oh hey...lol...no pun intended there... (but her fics are NC-17) Also, some of my old and good friends; ashes at midnight, vixangel, Brandi Rochon, MacKenzieCreations, vikinggoddss, jay Martinez and Esmerada007 all have some pretty incredible fics out there. Definitely some amazing reads from this group. Oh and by the way…I just started a great one from Sinangeled called 'Blindness'. It's spectacular! She writes Angelus like he was made to be written. Sexy and Bad to the Bone. ;) If you get a chance; this fic is a 'Must-Read'! **

**I like to share the love with every writer out there, but I tend to forget someone here and there...if I did, I'm sorry. Not intentional, but I do like to (as my friend Roxy says) 'pimp' out other people's fics. We should as writers because we all need to support one another, right? Right. So…anyhow, if you get a chance…check one or all of them out. You won't be disappointed.**

**Now enough of my blathering. Jeez, can I go on or what? You want to read about Buffy and Angel! So…(yay) on with the show.**

**xoxo**

**Jen**

******B/A****B/A****B/A****B/A****B/A****B/A**

**Chappie 6**

**Los Angeles:**

Cordy and Doyle watched Angel from the outer office. The dark eyed vampire was sitting at his desk, like he had every day for the last two weeks. His brow was furrowed and he looked so sad sitting there staring off into space. He rubbed at his chest, almost as if his heart ached and Cordelia let out a huge sigh.

"Oh brother…" she muttered, throwing up her hands. "When is it gonna stop?"

Doyle glanced at her, a worried frown creasing his brow. "How long does this usually last after he's seen her?"

Cordy snorted her eyes still on Angel. "What, the crabby scowl and morbid gloom?"

"Well, yeah," the Irish demon replied.

"It depends."

"On what?"

She heaved another sigh. "On how deep it cut." Angel leaned back in his chair and ran a weary hand over his face. It was obvious he was in full on brood mode. "And this time it looks like it cut pretty deep," Cordy murmured.

Doyle frowned. "So what does that mean?"

"It means batten down the hatches—here comes Hurricane Buffy."

"Maybe he just needs to get out. You know have a good time and forget about her for a while."

Cordy rolled her eyes and patted him on the shoulder. "You have so much to learn little Irish man. Let me explain the lore, okay? They have the forbidden love of all time. They suffer—they fight. That's business as usual. But they get groiny with each other and the world as we know it falls apart."

He scratched his head, frowning. "That bad, eh?"

"Worse," she said with a firm nod, "You've never met Angelus." She turned around to the window that looked into Angel's office and gasped when she saw him holding a stake in his hand. He was rubbing that spot over his heart again before he tested the tip of the stake with his finger and slowly got to his feet. Horrified, Cordy turned on Doyle. "Oh my God! I told you she makes him crazy!" she cried rushing into the office with Doyle hot on her heels. "Don't do it, Angel!" she yelled.

Angel paused to stare at them, his gaze going back and forth between them.

"Listen to me, man, it's not worth it," Doyle quickly interjected, speaking calmly as if talking a man down from a ledge.

A confused frown drew Angel's brows down. "It's not?"

"No!" Cordy chimed in, "You can't let her get to you like this. You'll meet someone else. Just give it some time."

Doyle held out his hand for the stake. "Why don't you let me have that?"

Realization dawned in Angel's eyes, a smirk crossed his lips and he barely kept from laughing."Because I need it to level my desk. It's uneven," he said, watching as their expressions went from concerned to embarrassed, in the blink of an eye. He bent down to stick the tip of the wood under one of the legs of his desk, before straightening. He gave Cordy and Doyle a sly smile. "You two thought…"

"Doyle did," Cordelia interrupted, throwing Doyle under the bus without a second thought. "You know how he jumps to conclusions."

Doyle slanted his eyes Cordy's way and frowned at her blatant lie. "Well, now," he tried to explain, "I wouldn't go so far as to say I thought you were gonna off yourself, but ya have been a wee bit peckish, man."

"Peckish," Angel repeated, frowning again. Images of Buffy flashed in his head and he felt the weight of her loss press down upon him. It was agonizing. He almost snorted at the word peckish. "Is that what you call it?" he asked softly. Unbearable seemed far more apropos, but that was just him.

"Well, you _did_ have a stake in your hand! What were we supposed to think?" Cordy snapped.

He shrugged and flashed his ring at them. "Even if I was…peckish…which I wasn't," he insisted, "I still have this remember?"

Doyle's eyes widened as he took notice of the 'Gem of Amarra' still sitting on Angel's finger. He laughed, a bit embarrassed he'd forgotten about the ring. "Ach, I'd forgotten all about that." He grinned at Angel. "Well, glad ta hear your not plannin' on takin' it off and greetin' the sun anytime soon, boyo. How about you an' me headin' to the pub to celebrate," he teased, knowing full well Angel would just roll his eyes at him—which he did.

"I'm not going to kill myself…" He rubbed his chest again, "but I think I might need an antacid or something," he muttered, only half teasing.

"Drank some bad blood, did ya?" Doyle joked.

Angel shrugged. "No, I thought I saw a little ball of light a while ago and then my chest just started to ache…like a burning sensation…" He shook his head. "Weird, huh?"

Cordy leveled her gaze upon Angel. "Little balls of light?" She made a face, "Okay, you're getting beyond weird…" she muttered.

"But I wouldn't stake myself, Cordy," Angel replied with a roll of his eyes.

"So you say, but you have to admit you've been more than just your average doom and gloom guy ever since you saw Buffy a couple of weeks ago." Angel visibly flinched at the Slayers' name and Cordy made an *mm-hmm* sound and folded her arms across her chest. "See. You can't even hear her name without reacting. So is it really surprising we thought you decided to put yourself—and us—out of your misery?"

Both Doyle and Angel gaped at the ex-cheerleader, as always, amazed at her utter lack of tact. Finally Angel shrugged and brushed off her rude comment. "Look, I saw Buffy and yeah, it hurt. Buffy will always be a part of me. That's never going to change." He swallowed thickly. "And whenever I'm with her…" Memories of Buffy kissing him, telling him she loved him, making love…they all flashed in his head at super-warp-speed and he bit off the rest of his sentence. _Those_ were moments for him and him alone. He'd never share them with Cordelia of all people. "But it'll never work," he said, pushing the memories away, "I realize that now. She's human, and…I'm…not. I have to face it and move on."

Cordelia snorted and muttered something under her breath as Doyle tried to get Angel to finally talk about what happened when he was in Sunnydale. "But ya love the girl, man. You sounded pretty happy ta me when ya called that first night. What happened?"

Cordelia elbowed Doyle in the ribs earning her another frown from the Irish man. "Ix-nay on the ove-lay," she said.

Angel sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making more of a mess out of his usual just got out of bed look. "Things happened…between us…and…" His eyes darted away uncomfortably, "it just made me more aware that I can't be with her, no matter how much I love her."

Glad she wasn't going to have to listen to any gory details of the Buffy/Angel show, Cordelia plastered on a fake smile and completely missed the way Angel's shoulders slumped when he said that. "So, you've decided to get over it. Well, good for you! I think you made the right decision…for all of us," she added peevishly.

Doyle glanced sideways at her. Cody was, as usual, thinking of herself first and foremost, not Angel. Doyle was far more focused on the obvious pain his friend was in and how he could help Angel deal with it. "But did you at least try and work something out with her? Maybe you guys could keep in touch…you know…try the long distance thing. It might work, ya never know unless you try it, right?"

Cordelia gave Doyle a 'not-so-friendly' kick and told him to shut it, but Angel missed the exchange, lost in his own sorrow. He shook his head and sighed, "Why? It'll never work out." With those words he straightened his shoulders and put on his stoic mask once again. "No, we said our goodbyes months ago. I need to stop stirring it up and just let her go," he told them firmly.

Doyle couldn't help but notice that Angel appeared even more disconnected than ever and it worried him. "Angel, man, I think—"

Cordelia's loud snort interrupted him. She shot Doyle a look that threatened him 'great-bodily-harm' if he continued before she flopped down in one of the offices' client chairs and crossed her legs. "So…let me get this straight. You went to Sunnydale for two days and hooked up with Buffy…" She gave a dramatic eye roll and scoffed, "but you didn't want to stir…right?"

Angel fidgeted and looked away. "I…uh…thought it best if I left…"

Cordy gave another derisive snort, "Oh and I'm sure it was, but I can tell you this, if _my_ ex came to town and was all 'love 'em-and-leave 'em-guy', I'd be—"

"A little upset," Buffy interrupted from the doorway. Three sets of eyes whipped her way, but her direct hazel gaze was focused on Angel, pinning him to the floor as if his feet were nailed down. "Wouldn't you?" she asked, giving him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Since Angel had that 'deer caught in the headlights' look, Cordy stepped in to break the uncomfortable silence. "Buffy!" she exclaimed far too brightly, "Buffy's here—in town." She frowned, "What brings you to—"

Buffy's eyes never wavered off Angel's face as she said, "I think Angel knows what brought me to town."

Cordy gave a fake laugh. "Oh, well isn't this a surprise!"

Buffy finally looked away from Angel and turned to Cordy. "Cordelia, how are you?"

"Good. I'm good. You?"

Buffy's head swiveled back to a still silent and stunned Angel. "I've been better."

Cordy nodded. "Unh-huh." She grabbed Doyle by the shoulders and pretty much shoved him towards the Slayer. "Well, this is Doyle. And he gets visions of people in trouble."

"So it was you that sent Angel to Sunnydale."

Doyle froze, not sure if she meant that as a good or bad thing. "I…uh…" He scratched his head and held out his hand instead. "Pleased ta meet you. You're even prettier than your picture," he told her, flashing what he hoped was a charming smile. An angry Slayer was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

His easy going nature charmed Buffy and she gave him a friendly smile in return. "Likewise," she said, and then frowned, "I mean not that you're pretty or that I've ever seen a picture of you." She paused as his words dawned on her. "Wait, when did you see a picture of me?" she asked, her gaze going back to Angel, seeking the answer to her question there.

Angel couldn't seem to find his tongue so Cordy made a break for the door, grabbing Doyle's arm on the way. "Well, it was good to see you, Buffy, but I can see you two have tons to talk about…so we'll leave you to it," she said, dragging a confused Doyle along as she breezed out the office before Buffy could even say goodbye.

Buffy looked a bit surprised at the abrupt departure, but she shrugged it off. She wasn't here to reminisce with Cordy. "Well, I can see she hasn't changed," she muttered, closing the door behind them. Buffy took a deep breath before turning back to face Angel; who was obviously having trouble meeting her eyes.

He shifted from foot to foot. "Well, umm, it's good to—can I get you anything?"

"How about…an explanation?"

"An explanation for what?"

She took several steps forward, moving around his desk until she was directly in front of him. "Oh...I dunno, like maybe an explanation for why you ran out on me like you did." She tilted her chin up and tried to appear fierce, but there was a sad little vulnerability in her eyes that, as always, unmanned him. "You didn't even say goodbye, Angel," she whispered in a small voice.

He swallowed hard. His head said lie to her and make her go home, but his heart wouldn't let him hurt her that way. She deserved more—she deserved the truth. "I-I wanted too, but…I was afraid." He clenched his fists, forcing himself not to touch her. "Afraid that if I saw you again…held you in my arms…even one more time…I wouldn't be able to let go." Buffy's lip trembled and her pain was so palpable, it made his undead heart ache. He tried, but seeing her like that undid him and he couldn't hold back anymore. With a soft groan, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. He tucked her head right up under his chin and crushed her to him. "I'm sorry…" he murmured, pressing soft kisses upon the crown of her head. "I didn't want to hurt you anymore."

She gave in for just a moment before pushing him away. There were still a few things she needed to get off her chest. "Look, I get that you want to protect me and you think you don't deserve happiness…but have you ever stopped and thought about what I want, Angel?" He started to reply but before he could answer she went on, "I mean _really_ what I want? Huh?"

He seemed to ponder that for several moments, going over how he met her-how he left her. "I thought I did," he said, "but I guess I really made decisions for me and only me. I never asked you what you wanted…"

Buffy tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. "Then stop. Stop running rough-shod over me. Stop making all my decisions for me and most of all, stop running away from me, Angel. You love me and I love you. We can make this work…I know we can."

His arms fell away from her and he got a panicked look on his face. He tried to step away from her, but Buffy held on to him, keeping him in her arms. "Buffy," he said urgently, sadly, "I do love you. You know I do, but we've been over this—tried this before. Every time I'm near you—I can't—" He choked on the words.

"I know," Buffy said, gripping his biceps hard enough to bruise if he weren't a vampire. "You're afraid it'll be 'Grrr' all over again, right?"

He laughed. "Afraid it'll happen? What do you mean afraid?" Again he laughed, but this time with absolutely no humor. He pulled himself out of her grip. "Buffy, it _did_ happen or are you forgetting Angelus coming out to play a couple of weeks ago?"

"No, I remember," she answered quietly, wrapping her arms around her middle and waiting for him to point out how she slept with his alter-ego too.

He didn't. Angel didn't want to touch that with a ten foot pole. He was jealous and pretty much wanted to thrash something every time an image or memory flickered in his head so the last thing he wanted to do was talk about it. He was happy being in the land of 'denial'. And Buffy shoved it under the rug because her feelings for Angelus were far too messy and complicated to explain. How could she make Angel understand when she didn't? No, the whole episode was better left unsaid and chalked up to a thing that happened because of magical forces.

Their eyes met and in that instant an unspoken agreement was decided upon. They would leave the topic alone—for both their sakes. But Angel did point out, "You're lucky the magick in that room kept him from killing someone—killing you," he added softly.

"But he didn't," she said, moving closer to him again.

"Because he wants to turn you! Don't you get that?" he exclaimed, stepping back from her again. He needed to keep some distance between them. He couldn't think when she was touching him.

"I pretty much had that one figured out, Angel." She gave a small laugh and brushed her fingers through her hair. "Don't let the blond dye fool you, I'm really not stupid."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "I know that, Buffy, I wasn't saying you were," he explained. "It's just… confusing. When we're apart…it hurts…everyday, but I live with it, but when you're here…in front of me…I can reach out and touch you…" He gave a weary sigh as he ran a hand down his face. "It's more than confusing—it's unbearable."

Her whole body trembled. "Angel…" she breathed, taking a step towards him. Buffy wanted nothing more than to cradle him to her chest, protect him and make all that pain go away.

Angel could let her do that. It would cripple him. "No," he snapped, cutting her off. "I can't be around you without wanting to lose myself in you. I can't resist…it doesn't matter how much I try. I want you despite the consequences." He grabbed hold of her shoulders and hunkered down so that they were eye to eye. "Don't you get that? Angelus wants you too, Buffy. In his way he loves you and when we both are too happy…" He let the sentence hang. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was saying.

"It makes for the perfect in the happy clause," Buffy supplied.

He nodded. "Yeah, and _that's _why it's dangerous for me to be around you." He let her go and took a step back. "No matter how much I wanna be with you, Buffy, I just can't take that chance," he said huskily.

His arguments were sound—that is if Willow hadn't fixed his loophole. S he took a deep breath. "I get what you're saying, Angel…really I do, but you don't have all the facts." He started to argue, but she silenced him with a wave of her hand. "Hey, I let you be all Obi-One with the lecture. Now it's my turn, so listen, okay?"

He grinned at her misuse of the Star Wars character's name. "Did you just call me Obi-Wan?"

"Would you rather be Yoda?" Angel shook his head and she grinned. "Good. Little green midgets really aren't my cup of tea."

"Buffy, we're really getting off topic here…"

"Oh! Yeah. I do have a point Angel. We can be together…that's what I came here to tell you. Willow fixed your curse."

His brows shot up. "What're you talking about?"

"Willow," she repeated slowly, "she found the original curse and bound…" she frowned, "binded—or would it be bonded?" Angel gave a little growl, and Buffy shrugged. "Okay-okay. Look whatever the word, basically Willow put the whammy on your curse and now you can be happy!" She grinned. "See, it's all of the good!"

He stared at her blankly. "Huh?" Angel asked, confused and showing it. "How—what are you talking about?"

"Look, I was confused too at first, but here's the deal…" Buffy said, "Your curse is actually a two-parter and those crafty Gypsies just happened to neglect adding the second part when they dropped it on you. So hence—loophole and Angelus, but Willow, good witch that she is, found the original curse and added the second part." Her excitement was bubbling over, but Angel still looked unconvinced. "So now your like loop-hole free. No more traumas, no more grrr, and no more Angelus!"

_That_ got his attention. "What? How do you know that?"

"She showed the curse to me. It was in a journal from the witch that cursed Stevenson hall. She was Romany, Angel." Buffy paused, trying to remember the witch's name. "Sophia…um…something or another. Anyways, in that journal she had like a zillion spells and one of those was_ your_ curse—word for word, according to Willow, but like I said, there was another part to it. A part that would bind the soul once you found true love." She grinned, "Pretty nifty, huh?"

Angel gaped at her, blinking rapidly. He rubbed the spot on his chest again. It was starting to ache even worse. "True love is supposed to bind my soul?" he asked. Buffy nodded. "But…I did—_do_ love you. Why didn't it—"

"I told you, the Rom didn't add it the first time," she sighed, like she was trying to explain the law of physics to a kindergarten class.

Angel's eyes widened as the whole of what she was saying finally hit him. "Buffy, are you sure? You've actually seen it for yourself?"

"Okay…repeating myself here. I told you I did. I saw it in black and white—well it was Latin…" Her words trailed off and she gave him a fleeting, petulant glance. "You know… maybe if you'd stuck around for longer than…oh… the time it took you to get dressed, you would have seen it for _yourself_ too."

Angel looked suitably chastened. "You know I'm sorry for bailing on you like that. I just couldn't face you after Angelus, so I ran. I'm sorry," he said again.

She let him off the hook. "I know, but no more running okay? New mature plan…we talk things out before picking up and running away." She held out her hand, smiling softly. "Deal?"

He couldn't help the smile that curled at his lips at her gesture. She was adorable and he loved her. "Deal," he said, taking her hand and pulling her to him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he lowered his head and sealed the deal with a kiss.

Buffy moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. Instantly the flame that burned between them flared to life, turning the chaste kiss into a passionate one. Angel growled, wrapped his arms tightly around her and crushed her against his chest. His tongue thrust into her mouth, tangling with hers as he deepened the kiss even more. Several heated moments went by as they reacquainted themselves with the taste of one another before Buffy finally needed to breathe. She pulled back, gasping for air. Her mouth was swollen, tingling and she touched a finger to her lower lip, her face showing her amazement at how a simple kiss from him affected her. "Okay, now that's what I call a deal maker."

He chuckled warmly, but quickly put a damper on his joy before he got too happy. "How do we know this will really work? That journal could be a fake, or a trick. We should do some research first."

"Done and doner," Buffy said with a smile. "Willow got it from the historical department at the library. Giles looked at it and says it's authentic." She went to her purse and pulled a folded piece of paper out of it. "Here, maybe you should read this first and then decide if it's a prank." She handed him the article she'd photocopied.

He quickly scanned through the article on Sophia Tuscamano dated 1930. It wasn't until the last paragraph when her surviving family members were mentioned that he began to believe it was legit. It was like his world had just tipped upside down and Angel's eyes widened, re-reading the passage again before clearing his throat and handing the paper back to Buffy. "Look at this," he said pointing to the part that had sent him into a tailspin, "it says that Tuscamano was her married name and that she'll be remembered by her nephew…Enyos Kalderash."

Buffy scrunched up her nose. Kalderash…? She knew the name, but… "Where have I heard that before?"

"Kalderash was the clan that cursed me. Enyos was Jenny's Uncle."

A guilty look of sadness crept across his face and realization dawned in Buffy's eyes. For just an instant her face fell as she remembered the teacher, but as quickly as it came—it went. It was a long time ago and Angel had nothing to do with what happened, even if he felt differently. Buffy laid a soothing hand on his arm. "It wasn't you." He shrugged and she went on. "See? Now do you believe?"

He nodded, speechless and more than a bit hopeful now. "Buffy, this woman—she—do you think she was there when I was cursed?"

"Yeah, that what Giles thinks." She pointed to a paragraph in the article. "See here. It says she was born in 1876 in Romania. That would have made her what…22 when you were cursed?" He nodded again and Buffy went on. "I'd say that's easily old enough to be involved. She was sent to watch you Angel," she said firmly pointing to another part of the article, "look at when she arrived in America. 1904."

"Just after I did," he said softly, head spinning at all this.

"Yep, we think it was her connection to you that triggered all the wacky at the hall." She shrugged and quipped, "Ya know…vengeance gone wrong and all that super fun evil stuff."

He smiled at her analogy. "It makes sense," he agreed. "Our love fed the energy and her hatred." He rubbed a hand across his jaw. "So Willow really thinks she can bind my soul…permanently?"

Buffy cupped his face and brought his head down until their lips were a hairsbreadth apart. She fairly hummed with excitement. "She already has," she whispered, placing a tender kiss on his lips. His arms went around her and Buffy beamed up at him. "Wanna try it out?"

Angel's jaw dropped at that. "When?"

Buffy bit back a smile. "When should we try it out or when did she do it?"

He rolled his eyes, but his lips were twitching too. "When did she bind my soul?" he asked, striving to stay on point.

Buffy pouted just a bit. "Oh…I was hoping…" He looked like he was about to growl at her so she hastily added. "Earlier today…like three hours ago."

"Wouldn't I have to be there?" he asked, frowning, not at all sure he was thrilled with Willow casting spells on him without him present or even knowing about it.

Buffy shrugged. "She didn't think so. She sent the little ball of light to you and that should've done the trick."

Now _that_ got his full attention and Angel's eyes widened. "A little ball of light?"

"Yeah, she said you would have felt it by now." She chewed her bottom lip. "Maybe something's wrong…"

"So I wasn't imagining it," he said to himself, dazed at this turn of events.

Buffy frowned. "Imagining…it?"

"This morning," he said, "a little white light. I thought I was seeing things, but there's this spot on my chest that's been hurting ever since."

"Really?" She reached for the buttons on his shirt, "Did you look at it? See if it hurt you or anything?"

"Hey!" he said, stepping back from those far too nimble fingers. Buffy frowned, but Angel explained how he wasn't sure if this was for real so the last thing he needed (for his own sanity) was Buffy's hands on his naked flesh. "I looked at it this morning," he assured her, "and there wasn't anything there."

"Well…?" Buffy prompted, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. He gave her that 'what?' look of his and she sighed dramatically, "Angel...did it do anything to you?"

"Not that I could see earlier, but I haven't checked in a while," he admitted, "and it's been…" He looked down and rubbed the spot again, "I don't know…kind of burning for the last hour or so."

She grabbed him and pulled him to her. "So it's been burning for an hour and you think that's normal?"

He shrugged. "I had other things on my mind," he provided softly.

Buffy nodded in understanding. She'd been hurting too. "But what if whatever you're feeling isn't because of Willow's magic?" She began unburroning his shirt again. He squirmed, trying to stop her, but she swatted his hands away."Stop wriggling and let me see."

He grabbed her wrists before she could finish undressing him. "Um...I've got to say...not sure that this is such a good idea until we know if this spell thing takes."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I think I can keep myself from jumping you…" She gave him a cheeky grin, "besides it's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

Angel knew how their passion went. He looked skeptical, but capitulated and Buffy quickly went to work on his shirt. In seconds she had it undone and Angel shrugged it down his shoulders, exposing his muscled chest to her view. Buffy gasped when his pectoral muscles were exposed and he froze. "I thought you said you could control yourself!"

He sounded petulant—accusing even and Buffy gave him an eye roll worthy of Queen C herself.

"I didn't gasp because of your chest—" His face fell and he actually looked insulted. Buffy couldn't help the grin that teased her lips. "Though I think it's a far above average chest, Angel. Beautiful even…" she reassured, biting back her giggle when his scowl all but disappeared at that. "I love your chest, baby, but it was this that got my attention," she said, pointing to a mark just above his nipple. His once flawless skin was red and puffy looking around the mark and Buffy frowned as she examined it. "Ouch—it looks all angry. Does it hurt?"

He looked down and his eyes widened. "What the hell!" he exclaimed, staring at the design that was etched onto his chest. "Is that a tattoo?"

Buffy looked closer, placing her fingers against the raised flesh. She poked at it a bit.

"Ow! That hurts!" he hissed, wincing and flinching away from her prodding.

She rolled her eyes again at him. "Oh come on you're a vampire—you're supposed to like pain."

He decided _not_ to remind her that pain usually went hand in hand with sex…"So is it a tattoo or what?" he asked, touching the spot gingerly.

"No," she breathed, staring at the intricate symbol burned into his chest. "It's a brand, Angel. It's burned into your skin."

His eyes practically bugged from his head. "A brand! What the—how?"

"The little ball of light had side-effects I guess?" she offered quietly, her eyes darting away in guilt.

Angel frowned and puffed out his chest so that he could see it better. It was still hard to see at his angle. "I've never wanted to use a mirror so bad…" he muttered. "Is that a Claddagh design?" Buffy nodded as he continued to inspect it. "It looks like there's something inside the heart. What is it?"

Buffy peered closely for a moment before she recognized the elegant letters inside. She let out a gasp.

"What?" His scowl turned into a worried frown. "Buffy…what is it?"

She raised her eyes and Angel was stunned to see tears there. "It's…" she took a shuddering breath, "it's a B and an A…woven together inside the heart, Angel."

He gaped at her. "Our initials are in there—branded on my flesh?'

Buffy nodded, her lower lip trembling. "Yes…Now I think it's safe to say the spell worked, wouldn't you?"

Angel stared at her, his jaw hanging open as he absorbed what this meant. "Does this mean…I'm free…?" he murmured leaning heavily against his desk. His hand went to the brand again. "It's directly over my heart…" he said absently.

"Where our love is, Angel," Buffy whispered. "You're not…mad, are you?"

He shot her a quick look of surprise. "No! Why would I be mad?"

"Well, you're not exactly 'commitment-guy' and that looks pretty permanent…" She let the sentence hang.

He shook his head. "Buffy, you've been branded in my heart since the day I laid eyes on you," he said, "now it's just more…" He glanced down, one finger tracing the heart in the design, "obvious, I guess," he finished softly.

Buffy's heart took flight. She placed her hands on his chest and batted her lashes up at him. "Okay, so _now_ do you wanna try out the spell and see if it takes?"

He wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her to him, eyes blazing with passion. Buffy gasped, but it quickly turned into a moan as the proof of how much the idea appealed to him was pressed firmly against her belly. She rubbed against him. He responded by growling and pressing her even harder against his erection. Buffy nibbled on his full lower lip, giggling when he nipped back. "I brought chains…" she said in a sing-song voice. He paused in his kissing and Buffy hurried to add, "just in case, but I don't think we'll need them."

He swallowed hard. It was now or never. Take a chance and have the only girl in the world he would ever love or merely exist in the same grey, dreary world he'd been in for almost a hundred years. He was terrified it wouldn't work, but really it was a no brainer. Of all the things in this world he wanted—he wanted Buffy most. His mind was made in an instant, but…"We'll use the chains…at least after the first time…just in case," he added, repeating her words back to her.

"The first time…" She placed a palm on his naked chest, grinning up at him. "So you see more than one time, huh?"

His answering smile was positively lewd. "Oh yeah…" Angel murmured in a low, husky purr, "Unless you have somewhere you have to be in the next…um…few days or so."

"Few days?"

His eyes glittered with rising desire as he nodded, "Unh-huh…at least."

Her voice was just as husky when she said, "The only place I need to be…is here…with you."

Angel's growl was feral when he suddenly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. he gave her rear end a playful swat."Good because I think testing this curse is going to require a lot of research. Tons even…"

Buffy let out a peal of laughter as her world tilted upside down. She squirmed when he spanked her, but it only got her motor revving more. She pointed to the elevator. "In that case I suggest you take me downstairs…" When he didn't immediately move she smacked him playfully on the ass, returning his earlier love-swat. "Get a move on, buddy! We have a curse to test!"

He hefted her higher on his shoulder, grabbed her butt in one huge hand and quick as a flash, he raced them downstairs to his apartment, only stopping his vamp speed when he skidded to a halt at the foot of his bed! Buffy's hysterical squeals turned into delightful laughter when he tossed her onto the downy softness of his bed. Angel flipped on the bedside lamp, casting the room in a dim glow before he crawled up the mattress to lie across her prone body. Buffy's arms went around his neck and she lifted her head, seeking his lips, eager now that she had him where she wanted. He nipped at her bottom lip seductively, making soft growling noises in the back of his throat.

Their kisses were getting heated when he suddenly sat up and pulled out a pair of chains and manacles. Buffy frowned, but he shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the possible bad…"They're just a precaution." His eyes darkened. "Actually chains can be fun, love…" he said in a voice that was both sexy and scary because it was a little Angulus-y. He winked, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours…"

Deciding she liked 'naughty' Angel she laughed and pointed to the bag she'd dropped at the foot of the bed. "In there."

He got them out too and set them next to his. "Just in case, baby. Promise you'll do it."

Buffy promised, adding that she'd chain him up even when the spell held.

He laughed for a moment before he became serious again. "No matter what happens…" he started…

"Angel, let's not—"

He put a gentle finger on her lips, silencing her protests. "Ssshh…I need to say this." She nodded and he went on, "No matter what happens…whether the spell works or not, I want you to know how much I love you, Buffy. I always have and I always will. You'll always be my girl…" he told her before taking her mouth in a bone melting kiss that made them both desperately hungry for more. Their tongues tangled, entwining in a mating dance as old as time itself and Buffy let herself go. She let her hands run down his back, exploring the hard muscles there before grabbing hold of his muscled ass and squeezing. Angel bucked his hips forward, pressing his erection against her hot center. She moaned and tilted her hips; enjoying the feeling of his hard on against the place she needed him most.

"Buffy!" he gasped, shuddering when she spread her legs even wider and he slipped further within the cradle of her thighs.

"Angel…" she returned throatily, gripping his hips with her knees and giving him a 'come hither' look that had his cock about ready to burst the seems of his pants.

He stroked the hair back from her face. "God, I love you," he whispered.

"I know. I love you, too," she replied, scraping her nails up and down his muscled back and thighs. "But I'd love you even more if you'd touch me, Angel. I need you…" she added with a little whine.

He chuckled. "Impatient."

"I feel like I've waited forever to finally say you're mine again. Don't make me wait any longer."

Angel's undead heart skipped a beat it shouldn't even have. How had he ever thought he could walk away from her? It seemed so utterly ridiculous now. "I've waited too, Buffy. Too long," he said softly, letting his hands glide along her body, up and under her top before helping her into a sitting position. In seconds he had her top off. Her bra followed with a quick flick of his wrist. He licked his lips. "I think that's the thing I like most about this century," he murmured, ogling her naked breasts.

"Huh?" Buffy asked, blushing under his intense perusal.

A slow, sensual smile spread across his handsome face. "Ladies' lingerie…it's so easy now, it used to take me—" She sucked in a furious breath and Angel wisely bit off the rest of that sentence. "Um…never mind," he mumbled.

"Good answer!" she said, smacking him on the bicep-maybe a little harder than necessary. He winced, but she felt no sympathy. "Totally a mood killer, Angel!"

"No one compares to you, Buffy," he whispered, his eyes roaming her body hungrily."I've never seen a woman more beautiful than you. I've never loved any woman but you..."

She wanted to stay mad-she really did, but..."Sure, use words like that to get yourself out of trouble…" she muttered, but her blush…and the way her eyes sparkled made it obvious how much she loved hearing 'words like that'. Buffy used her Slayer strength to flip them, putting Angel on his back. She straddled his lean hips and pinned his arms above his head. "Okay, that was a good save," she told him with a smirk, "but…I wanna know one thing and then we can send this subject off to the wastelands of never-ever-again…" She raised a brow and her grip tightened until Angel winced, "just how many naked women have you seen, lover?"

He got that look on his face that Cordelia often called his 'Buffy-face' and froze. Her grip was hard, not angry really, but it could go either way and he was pretty damned sure the wrong answer at this point might just get his ass kicked. Swallowing hard, Angel wracked his brain for a way out of the predicament he found himself in. "I…um…" he cleared his throat, "is there a right answer here?"

He was like a bug squirming under her scrutiny and Buffy decided to let him off the hook. "Actually, no, but…I don't really want to know how many were before me…" She let go of his wrists and trailed her hands down his chest, "just as long as I'm the last…" she told him, taking a teasing nip from his bottom lip.

He brought his hands up to cup her face. "Buffy, you're not simply the last…you're the _only_…" he whispered softly.

Any and all ire melted like a snowflake in hell at that. "You are _so_ forgiven…" she breathed against his lips, before thrusting her tongue inside his mouth to taste what he'd now deemed…_only hers_. Buffy liked the sound of that and the way she kissed him, forcefully and full of passionate need proved that. They made out like teenagers, both of them taking turns being the dominant one before Buffy sat up and grinded her aching core against the hard bulge underneath her. The hard ridge of his erection provided just the right friction and Buffy's breathing grew ragged as she writhed on top of him.

Angel's eyes fluttered shut and he groaned, gripping her hips and pressing her hard against his throbbing cock. "Buffy…please…"

Her smile was impish and more than a tad wicked as she teased him even further. "Mmmmm, now I've got you where I want you…I don't know where to start," she taunted, smoothing her hands across his muscled chest. "Should I start here…?" Her hands went to his half unbuttoned shirt. "Or here…?" she teased, sliding her hand down to cup his package. Angel let out a low moan and Buffy went back to his shirt. He growled out his frustration, but she was enjoying being able to play and he let her. She began to unbutton his shirt, but in her excitement, her fingers fumbled with the buttons a bit. Finally, she blew out a frustrated breath and just ripped the darned thing open. "There we go," she said, pleased. She needed to touch all that pale skin and she needed to touch it now! Angel's eyes widened before a slow smile curled his lips at her eagerness. She rolled her eyes. "Yeah-yeah, I know. I'm impatient. I'm also bossy and a big mushy pile of needy sometimes, but you can deal, right?" she said it jokingly, but there was an underlying vulnerability there.

"Yeah, I can deal," he agreed, settling his hands on her hips. His dark eyes were black with lust. "But I wasn't thinking impatient. I was focused on really hot, but I guess bossy and impatient fits too," he quipped.

"I like hot," she said. His hands reached up and cupped her breasts and Buffy's head tipped back, a low moan easing out of her as his thumbs brushed her nipples. He tweaked both hardened peaks and she sucked in a sharp breath as pleasure zinged through her. "Mmmmmm…so gooood." She began the slow grind against his cock again, breathlessly moaning his name the closer she came to finding that perfect amount of friction to get off. His hand slid up her thigh, under her skirt and in between their grinding bodies. With unerring ease he found her sweet spot and used his fingers to give her what she needed. Within moments he had her tipping over the edge.

Buffy let out a whimpering cry of his name as she climaxed, holding on to him tightly and Angel was absolutely sure he'd never heard a sweeter sound than his Slayer crying his name as she came undone in his arms…

****B/A**B/A**B/A**B/A****

**Okay guys…this one is (slowly) winding down. I know. It's just gotten longer and longer, hasn't it? (lol!) **_**But**_** I added some very tender B/A scenes in the next chappie and I added the branding of the Claddagh symbol to Angel in this chappie. I hope you all liked/loved that part as much as I did. Can you imagine if the powers had branded him with proof she was meant for him? *sigh* Painful, yes, but so romantic…(hey he's a vamp—he likes pain!) lol! Right? Right!**

**Anyhow, as I said, the next chappie is the last one, so please let musie know what you think…she's such a greedy thing and the fatter she is, the happier she is and then she feeds me. Thank you again for all your support. Without you, the readers, I don't know if I'd be as inspired…**

**xoxo**

**Jen**


	7. Chapter 7

**Return to Sunnydale **

**A fic by: Jen**

**You all know the rating…right? Like Jen would write anything that WASN'T an M? LMAO!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. I use some cannon in my fics—those words are all owned by Joss—Mutant Enemy-and WB. I do, however, own my muise—or she owns me—whatever…not sure who owns who, really, but I do own this fic. Lol! **

**A/N: Okay: First, I want to thank you all for such a great response to this fic. It makes me all warm and fuzzy! Lol! The reviews inspire me and get the beast (musie) off her bum and make her spatk—so thank you! I mean it…thank you. You guys make me write…**

**Now…I want to give a shout to my girl Roxy. I love you…hope I hear from you soon. Vix—you're the best! Anyone out there who hasn't read one of Vix's fics…you should! Lia (ashes at midnight) You're awesome! You guys nreed to check her fics out too. Now…there's Angelus…frosty600 as we all know is amazing at writing that dark demon. If you have not taken a peep at her re-write series. God! You're missing out on some seriously good stuff! Also, Sinangeled has an amazing Angelus fic entitled 'Blindness'…really if you love the dark demon like I do…go and read these ladies work. They are awesome!**

**Now…enough of me and my blathering…on with the B/A goodness…**

**xoxo**

**Jen. **

**B/A****B/A*****B/A*****B/A*****B/A*****B/A*****B/A**

**Chappie 7**

In a flash he'd rolled them back over and got to his knees between her legs. He reached for the long flowing skirt she wore and quickly discarded it, leaving Buffy in nothing but a pair of black lacey boy short/panties. Angel's eyes roamed her appreciatively. Flashing yellow eyes and a rumbling growl accompanied his heated gaze. "Jesus…those are…" He swallowed thickly, amber eyes glued to the itty-bitty scrap of fabric covering her, "sexy as hell."

Buffy stared, fascinated that only his eyes had changed and not his face. She pulled his head down and devoured his mouth, unbelievably turned on that she affected him like that.

Angel gave himself over to their passion. There was a part of him that was utterly freaked out that Angelus was going to make reappearance, but if he even had a sliver of a chance at happiness with Buffy—he was going for it. He raised his head, breaking their kiss to place wet open mouthed kisses down her neck. He paused at his mark, laving it with his tongue before moving on down her chest. He treated her breasts to his attentions, gliding his tongue around her areola several times before he took the hard tip of her nipple into his mouth and suckling it like a babe. A slow, rumbling purr made it's way through his chest, giving proof to his contentment as he lavished each perky breast with affection until Buffy was writhing under him, begging him to let her come.

He chuckled huskily. "Patience…" he murmured, moving on to tongue his way down her tanned stomach, pausing to pay tribute to her belly button—which he believed was the cutest he'd ever seen. She arched under him as he dipped his tongue inside the tiny indentation, giggling breathlessly. Angel gave another purr before his lips continued their journey south with more soft, moist kisses across her hip bone until he reached the edge of her panties. He nipped at the lacey fabric of her shorts, pulling it down a bit so he could suckle at the skin hidden underneath. It was the sweetest of tortures and Buffy shuddered under his ministrations, her fingers clutching the comforter when he used his teeth to pull the shorts down.

His breath blew across her burning center, teasing her even more and Buffy's hands tightened in the bedspread until she was twisting the fabric to the point of tearing it. "Oh God!" she panted, lifting her hips in an attempt to get his mouth where she needed him most.

He pressed a quick kiss to her wet core through her panties before grabbing her shorts in his hands and pulling them down and off her legs. When he finally he had her completely bare, Angel sat back on his heels and took in the sight before him. She was a feast for all his senses, easily the most alluring creature ever. "You're so beautiful…" he murmured, staring at her in awe. "I don't deserve you," he whispered, "but I love you. Forever."

Buffy's eyes watered a bit and she gave him a wobbly smile as she held her arms out to him, urging him on top of her, but Angel had other ideas. He shook his head and lowered himself to lie, stretched out on his stomach between her legs. Buffy sucked in a sharp breath, her body tightening imperceptibly when she realized she was finally going to have his mouth on her. She remembered how good he was at this and heat uncoiled in her belly, poised in preparation for the pleasure that was about to come. He lowered his head and her eye lids fluttered in expectation, but instead of going right for the 'gusto' so to speak, Angel lingered over her inner thighs. He placed downy soft kisses along that tender flesh, nibbling at the trembling muscles there, slowly moving towards his ultimate goal. He took his time with her, kissing and licking her pouty nether lips over and over before inching closer to her clitoris. He swirled his tongue around the tiny nub several times, getting it puffy and swollen before actually touching it. Buffy was a whimpering mess when he finally went in for the main event and sucked that little bundle of nerves into his mouth. His mouth fastened on her sweet spot, alternating between licking and sucking, hard and soft. Buffy was balanced precariously on the edge when he slid first one finger and then another inside her. He continued eating her with his mouth while using his fingers on her to drive her even higher.

Buffy mumbled unintelligible words of encouragement, fisting his hair in a white knuckled grip as he used his talented mouth and hands to take her to heaven. "Please-please-please…" she chanted, rubbing against his mouth shamelessly. All inhibitions were gone now that she was nearing relief.

He quirked his fingers inside her and made a 'come here' gesture so that the tips of his fingers rubbed against her 'G' spot. And just when Buffy thought it was too much, that she was going to die walking the thin line between surreal orgasmic relief and desperate achy need..something inside snapped and a white hot buzzing filled her head. "Oh God!" she gasped, gripping his hair hard enough to elicit a growl from him when she took flight in a toe curling orgasm that had stars bursting behind her eyes in a kaleidoscope of brilliant lights. She screamed his name, clutching at his head and keeping his face pressed tightly to her core as she came undone in the most wonderful way imaginable.

It was a good thing Angel didn't need to breathe…She had a Slayer grip on him that would have suffocated a mere mortal. But then again no human man had ever shared a bed with Darla. His she-bitch of a sire had made damned sure he was very, very good at getting her off with his mouth! And for once Angel was thankful for that, since now he could put that skill to good use in pleasuring the woman he loved. He lifted her hips, tilting her so he could lap at the honeyed juices flowing from her body. He groaned at how perfect she tasted and buried his face deeper between her legs, licking her, purring continuously. She gasped, arching her hips even more when he started to purr like that, the humming vibrations against her sensitive flesh were intensely erotic and felt amazing. Angel shoved his tongue deep, penetrating her and moving it in and out so he could get every last drop of her sweet nectar.

"So good…you taste so damned good," he growled against her flesh, suckling at her flesh like a man starved and she was a five course buffet.

Buffy shrieked, her voice hoarse when another quick, explosive climax hit her before she'd even recovered from the first one. She clutched at his head, holding him against her burning center, shuddering under the newest onslaught of sensations until finally, it receded and she was released. Shivering, she fell back to the bed, a panting, utterly spent mass of gooey Slayer flesh.

"Oh my God…" she sighed, too sated to even brush her sweat soaked hair out of her face. "That was…" She closed her eyes unable to even think of a word that described how good it was. "Wow!" was all she could come up with.

After several minutes, (when she could actually form a coherent thought again) Buffy lazily blinked open heavy eyes in search of her lover. She found Angel reclining next to her, his head propped in his hand and looking pretty darned pleased with himself. Smug didn't come close to his expression, but she couldn't help the answering smile that tugged at her lips. After all, she supposed he had a reason to look so damned cocky. "Okay, so maybe there _is _something to be said for having a cradle-robbing-creature of the night-boyfriend with over a hundred years of sexual experience," she quipped, still breathing raggedly.

He laughed huskily and placed one hand on her tummy. His outstretched fingers practically spanned the width between her hip bones and he marveled at how tiny she really was. Petite described Buffy to a tee, yet she fairly vibrated with an energetic force that brought all his senses roaring to life. She was the yin to his yang and he wanted tonight to be a night they never forgot. His smirk was as sinful as strawberries dipped in chocolate and Buffy's tummy did some serious cartwheels as he slid his hands up her body again. "You haven't seen anything yet. I'm just getting warmed up," he said, smiling that smile that she was sure had led many a girl into doing some very, very naughty things…

His words made all kinds of new shivers of anticipation tingle along her flesh leaving goose-flesh in its wake. She was still tingling all over from the amazing pleasure he'd just given her. "Oh…God…" she said with a sigh.

Angel ignored the burning lust pulsing in his veins that demanded he take her now—hard and rough to ease the ache. His penis was actually hurting, but he wanted—no needed to have this moment of tenderness with her. He wanted more than just satisfying the urge. No matter how overwhelming it was."I'm going to make love to you, Buffy, again and again…all night."

She frowned. "But we just—"

He shook his head. "No, we were starved for each other. Eager and crazy with lust, but we've never really taken our time. Even our first time was kind 'a rushed and frantic."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Are you going to say you didn't like it now? Cause if you are, I think you're forgetting the 'perfect' part of the happy that night, buddy."

"No, Buffy, I remember how perfect it was. Just like every time with you is still perfect."

"Then why—?"

"Because fast, explosive sex is amazing, and don't get me wrong, I love it, but I want tonight to be…I don't know…more, I guess. I want to show you everything you're body is capable of. I'm going to show you things—places on your body you never dreamed were erogenous. I want to explore every inch of you until I know your body as well as my own."

That was probably the hottest thing she'd ever heard. It also occurred to her that he wanted it to be different than her time with Angelus—well, at least for tonight because Angel was more than capable of hot monkey sex—but tonight he wanted to 'make-love'. A slow smile spread across her face and she pointedly glanced down at the enormous bulge straining his pants. "I get it and I'm all for it. Explore away," she said with a grin, "I'm also guessing the slow and steady part is why you're not naked, yet? Hmmm?"

He licked his lips, eyes devouring her perfect body. "I need to keep myself under control until get my fill…just in case…" He didn't need to complete that sentence; they both knew very well what he meant.

Buffy's heart stopped before it thumped hard and lodged in her throat as fear threatened to overwhelm her. All kinds of possible consequences to their lovemaking flitted through her head, but Willow's certainty that the curse was gone calmed her somewhat.

Angel noticed and gave her a gentle smile, keeping a firm hand on her belly. "We have the chains…If it happens…I trust you to not let me hurt anyone, Buffy. We'll be fine…" he whispered.

Angel's belief in her (them) settled the issue. She nodded slowly, throat closing as she realized what an amazing lover he was to want this for her. "How did I get so lucky?" she asked huskily, more to herself than to him.

He continued to move his hand along her quivering flesh, up and down, from her belly to her breasts, over and over until she was moving restlessly, turned on and shuddering again. He watched how easily she responded to his touch with avid hunger, licking his lips. "I'm the lucky one…" he murmured, lowering his head, "I get to have_ my_ way with _you_…" His tongue came out, swirling around a pink tipped nipple, slowly laving it, smirking when it hardened immediately. "Beautiful." He opened his mouth and took the turgid peak into his mouth, sucking. She gasped and arched into him, cradling his head to her chest. He smiled against her flesh and allowed his wandering hand to move back down her belly, slipping between her thighs. He growled softly when she whimpered his name and her fingers tightened in his hair, making little mewling noises in the back of her throat.

"Aangelll…" she whined, trying to get his fingers where she needed them most, "need you…please."

He fastened his lips around her nipple and suckled it harder, finally giving her what she needed by inserting a finger into her dripping core. She cried out, bucking into his hand as her legs opened wide for his talented fingers. One of Angel's hands went to the bulge in his pants and gripped himself, shutting down the tingling need for release. Her passion was so hot—so explosive and he was about to come in his pants, he was so damned excited. Angel wanted to explore her, discover and enjoy every bit of her essence and make her body sing for him. Buffy was_ his_. _Not_ Angelus'! Tonight he was reclaiming his mate and getting off too soon was something he simply wasn't going to let happen.

"Mmmm…" he moaned, suckling her even harder, relishing the way she tasted. Leisurely, he moved on to her other breast, giving it the same attention while his hands played her body like a virtuoso, voraciously moving in and out of her until she went still, shivered hard and convulsed in his arms."That's it, baby. Come for me…" he crooned, lips trailing up her chest to nibble at his mark. His mouth on that spot sent her into another quick orgasm and Buffy thrashed under him, whispering words of love as she clutched his head to her scar.

Before she'd even recovered he'd scooted down the bed to her feet.

She leaned up on her elbows to peer down her body. "Angel, what are you—?" Her words choked off in a gasp when he suddenly sucked her big toe into the wet cavern of his mouth, adroitly swirling his tongue along the nerve endings there—ones she never knew were so hyper-sensitive. "Oh!" Her eyes snapped closed as his strong hands massaged her instep, his thumbs sweeping along the tiny muscles, causing her to moan out loud.

He nipped at her heel, before moving on to the next one. Buffy was sure she'd died and gone to heaven. Her body felt one big pile of mush—now this. "Oh God…that feels sooo gooood…"

He snickered a bit, giving her pinky a gentle nibble. "Mm-hmm," was all he said, but of course he'd never doubted she'd enjoy this.

His mouth moved up her legs again, taking the time to gently press hot, moist kisses to the backs of her knees and Buffy couldn't take anymore. She reached down grabbed him by the ears and yanked him up her body.

He yelped, but broke into a husky laugh when he spotted her feisty expression. She looked positively fierce. "No more," she all but growled at him, "need you—inside-now!" Before he could answer her tiny hands were at the fastening to his pants. She fumbled with the zipper, cursed softly under her breath and finally, like his shirt earlier, she lost her patience and simply tore them open. His erection sprang free and her eyes traveled over his impressive size and length. "Mmmm, there we go…" she said, licking her lips like he was a tall glass of lemonade and she had a parched throat.

Quick as a cat she had him flat on his back and even quicker than that she'd maneuvered her way down his long lean legs, dragging his pants along with her. Her green eyes glittered as she knelt at his feet and let her eyes take in his perfect body, completely exposed to her. "Now that's more like it—you should never-ever wear clothes" she told him, only half teasingly.

He rolled his eyes at that. "I could see Giles appreciating that…" he teased back.

Buffy scowled. "Okay, new rule, no talk of anything Giles-y while naked!" she told him, tossing his pants over her shoulder and totally uncaring where they landed.

He chuckled and agreed wholeheartedly with her rule as she slithered back up his lean form until she straddled his powerful thighs. She stared down at his straining cock lying high and hard against his lean belly like it was the tastiest treat she'd ever seen. The aroused look on her face made his belly clench and Angel took a shuddering breath when she reached for him. Her small hands barely fit around his girth, but when she touched him, those hot little hands stroking him were like pure fire. It burned deep in his gut and Angel groaned low and deep, arching up into her touch.

"Buffy! Fuck yesss!" he hissed, eyes clenching shut and gritting his teeth against the urge to come then and there. He'd spent a lot of time pleasing her and now he was right on the edge…

Buffy licked her lips, still holding him firmly. Her smile was utterly wicked and Angel visibly gulped at that naughty look. "My turn…" she said, before lowering her head and taking him into her mouth…

*****************B/A******************B/A*******************B/A******************

**Several hours later: **

**Cut to Angel's apartment. **

They'd made love for hours…a few of those had been filled with tension as Angel was restrained to the bed and they'd waited to see if the curse would kick in. During that time they'd discussed several options—one of which was the 'mature-plan', in which they both stayed in their respective cities. They'd keep in touch—just not literally—and they'd date. It was a good plan—a solid, responsible plan. It was also a plan that went straight out the window the second they realized his soul was permanent. Giggling like teenagers, they'd celebrated their good fortune with more lovemaking. It was amazing-magical. Finally, Buffy and Angel had real happiness at their fingertips and without the fear of the consequences. In their joy hey'd taken each other to heights neither had ever dreamed possible and for the first time ever, Buffy sincerely knew then the difference between Angelus' rough passion and Angel's love. Both were amazing in bed, but the real difference was in the afterwards. Angelus would never let her in, but when Angel held her, snuggled her…it made not only her body sing, but her heart as well.

Buffy was over-the-moon and if possible, in the last few hours, she'd fallen even more 'head over heels' in love with him.

Now, as she lay in bed, sated from the hours they'd spent enjoying each other she realized how easily she could forget everything but him. Angel had always been her everything. Her end all be all love, but for the first time Buffy could actually see herself staying in his arms for eternity. She smiled dreamily. Just then she heard footsteps coming down the stairs into the apartment and she sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.

"Angel, are you back?" her voice called out from the bedroom, giddy in her happiness and showing it.

Her euphoria was contagious and he couldn't wipe the answering grin off his face if he tried. "Yep," he answered, carrying in several bags of groceries. He almost felt like kicking up his heels and whistling a jaunty, full blown 'Irish-ditty' as he set them on the table and started to sort through them.

"Did you get the peanut butter?" she yelled back.

He pulled out a jar of 'crunchy' peanut butter. "Yep. Got it."

"It's crunchy, right?"

He grinned, grabbing a few of the bags and heading for the bedroom. "I said yes…" he said, holding up the jar for her to see. "You said preferably crunchy, right. Well…crunchy it is," he said, walking towards the bed with the bags of groceries.

A very naked Buffy was waiting on the bed for him, but as soon as he entered the room she held up a hand, stopping him. "Unh-uh. Only naked people are allowed in this room. It's a rule," she told him, pointing to a sign she'd made while he'd gone shopping.

Angel glanced to his right and chuckled at the 'naked people only' sign stuck to his wall. He chuckled, feeling insanely happy. The curse hadn't been an issue and now they were finally together. He looked down at the bags in his hand. "Wanna take these?"

Buffy grabbed the bags and dropped them on the bed in front of her. "Gladly as long as you take those..." she pointed to his clothes, "off."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a smirk. "I wouldn't want to break the rules."

Buffy nodded. "That's right. Some rules should never be broken...now get naked."

Angel laughed softly, but as her eyes began to eat him up he quickly forgot about teasing her back and began disrobing quickly, haphazardly dropping his clothes wherever they landed in his haste to get undressed and back in bed with her.

Buffy got to her knees, eagerly watching as his perfect body was exposed to her greedy gaze. he was so perfect. Tall and broad shouldered with a tight hard tummy and just...she made an *mmmm* sound and licked her lips. "Now _that's_ what I call the perfect yumm."

He made his way to the bed and her eyes followed his every move, but he never flinched. Angel had an easy grace about him and was comfortable in his nudity. He paused by the bed and reached down to toss her the peanut butter and chocolate bars she'd begged him to get. To him it seemed a strange combination, but Buffy swore it was divine. He smirked. "And here I thought _this_ was your idea of the 'perfect yumm'," he quipped, "Isn't that why I went shopping?"

Buffy took the offering, giggling as she opened both the chocolate and the peanut butter. He slipped under the covers and she maneuvered herself up next to him. She dipped the chocolate into the jar of peanut-butter as he settled himself against the headboard. "Mmmmm," she moaned as she stretched out next to him. She licked the peanut butter off the chocolate bar and Angel gripped her thigh at that little sexy little move-he imagined her mouth licking other things... She glanced down at his hand on her leg, smiling at how touchy-feely he'd become since he found out he _could_ touch and feel without losing his soul. She made another *mmmm* sound and licked her lips, purposely enticing him. "Oh, Angel…this is good. Sooo good," she murmured, making little happy noises before dipping again. She went to take the next bite, but paused, her eyes traveling over his pale, muscled chest. "There's something missing…" she said, still holding the peanut butter covered chocolate bar, pouting at him prettily.

She looked so sexy with her tangled hair and just kissed-lips that he bit back a groan. Lord help him, but she looked very well fucked and it made him instantly hard. Angel's tongue felt thick and heavy from lust. "What?" he croaked, swallowing hard as he scooted closer, wanting her again.

Buffy noticed and swung her leg over his hips, straddling his waist. "Well you see…the perfect yumm is beyond the simplicity of chocolate and peanut butter. It needs more," she explained.

His hands settled on her hips and he smiled up at her beautiful, flushed face. "Really?" he asked, raising a brow. "Like what?"

"Well…" she started, "there_ is_ something you can do…"

"Tell me…it's yours."

She trailed a hand down his chest, heading south. He gulped as that wandering finger came close to his erection. "Well…I can think of only one thing I really-really want…"

He grinned. "I bet…is it the same thing I want?"

Buffy waved her treat as she talked, "I don't know…why don't you share first," she teased.

"Why don't I show you instead," he said, wriggling his brows at her. Buffy's breathing become shallow again and she nodded eagerly. Angel gave her one of his purrs that made her all gooey and wet. He leaned forward as if to kiss her, but before their lips met, he'd snuck a bite of her chocolate and peanut butter confection instead. Her eyes widened and he burst out laughing at her surprised expression.

He chewed wholeheartedly, smirking the entire time. "Mmmm…now _that's_ good…thank you," he murmured, mouth full.

It took her a full second to realize he was being playful. It was a stunning revelation because Angel didn't usually do funny. But apparently, without the curse holding him back, he _did_ do playful. Her heart swelled. How many other sides of him were there that she hadn't seen because of that damned curse? Buffy was more than eager to find out.

She giggled and played along. Her brows drew down into a mock scowl. "Someone's a very bad-boy…and you _so _deserve to be punished for that, you know?"

Angel's eyes danced with mischief. "What are you going to do to me?"

The atmosphere was teasing, but there was such an underlying heat between them—it was electric. She dipped her finger into the peanut butter and rubbed it along his lip. "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something…maybe I'll break out the chains again," she purred, sliding her finger along his mouth.

Faster than a blink, he grabbed her hand and held it still so he could lick her fingers. "I think I might let you..." he purred.

Buffy shrieked when he tongued her fingers. "St-stop! It tickles!" she squealed, squirming on his lap and giggling as she attempted to escape his tormenting.

He held her tight and sucked a slender digit into his mouth, but this time, he suckled at her slowly, erotically. He was aiming for seductive instead of tickling. He smiled when it worked and she stopped squirming away and moaned instead. Once all the peanut butter was gone from her fingers, he snatched up the ice cream from beside the bed and tasted that too. "Mmmm, now this is good. So cold…" He took another bite and gave her a wolfish grin. "How come you've never showed me how much fun food can be?"

Eager to play, Buffy grabbed another bar and dipped it before bringing it to his mouth, teasing him. "Well, since your vamp taste buds can't truly savor it I figured it would only be cruel…" Just as he was about to bite of the ice cream, she suddenly snatched it away. He shot her a disgruntled frown until she tilted the spoon and let the icy cold cream dribble across her nipples. His eyes dilated and a growl burst from him. Buffy met his eyes as she put another spoonful on her other breast. "But lately I've been thinking…maybe if it tastes like me too, you might enjoy it after all."

Angel wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. His erection slid up and in between the folds of her sex as he buried his face in her breasts, lapping at the tasty treat she was offering. "God, I love you," he murmured. It didn't take Angel long to decide that while 'Cookie-Dough-Fudge-Mint-Chip' was good—a bit of Buffy added to the mix made it a very delicious treat indeed.

Buffy let her head fall back, thoroughly enjoying the way his tongue swirled around her nipple, licking off every bit of her cold sticky cream. She eased herself up, keeping her breasts in his face as she reached down between them and stroked his weeping erection. He raised his head and she leaned forward to lick at the tiny bit of ice-cream smeared along his lower lip. "Mmmm, nummy," she moaned softly, still pumping him with slow, easy strokes.

Angel arched into her hand, his arms tightening around her slender frame. His mouth opened and he made a *gahd* sound.

Buffy's smile widened. "Oh, by the way…" she whispered leaning back to look at him. "I'm over the whole mature long-distance plan thingy." She positioned his turgid length at her entrance and eased down jsut a bit until the head of his cock entered her... "That time you were at the store—" She gasped when he surged upwards, thrusting into her, "was enough time apart," she finished, panting softly as he filled her completely.

"Too much…" Angel agreed huskily. He gripped her hips with both hands and planted his feet firmly on the bed for better purchase to fuck her with. He reached up and buried his hands in her hair so that he could kiss hewr proper. He started to bring her head down, but stopped, pausing to stare into her eyes. "I love you." he said it so gruffly, like it was ripped from deep within his soul.

Buffy trembled at the emotion she saw in his face. So much love… Her throat closed and a small sob choked forth. She cupped his face and brushed her lips across his. "I love you too," she whispered. "I always have-always will."

Time seemed to stand still for just an instant as they stared into each others' eyes, but, as always, their passion flared bright and hot.

Angel clutched her tiny body to him as he began to move inside her, thrusting with deep, powerful strokes. She clung to him and he hissed in both pain and pleasure when her nails dug into his shoulders. They moved in perfect unison, complimenting each other naturally. The dim light gave their bodies a soft glow and their soft moans, sighs and growls were the only sound in the room as they made love. It may have been intended to be slow, but Buffy and Angel never did anything the way it was supposed to be and all too quickly that ravenous desire they had for one another kicked in and their lovemaking became heated and furious.

Buffy wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, gripping him as she bounced on his lap, moving upon him faster and faster. She was so close. Angel groaned, fingers digging into her flesh as he pumped into her harder and harder. She made him crazy and he strove for the perfection he found with her and only her. Their need consumed them and they raced for the finish line.

Buffy started first as tingles raced along her spine. She arched, head thrown back, her body broke out in goose-bumps as the beginnings of her climax hit her and she grinded against him, desperate as she barreled towards the sweet oblivion that could only be had in the arms of her Angel.

When it hit her…she cried. Angel held her tenderly, whispering words of love and devotion and for the first time in what felt like an eternity—Buffy believed him when he promised her forever.

******B/A****B/A****B/A****B/A****B/A**

**Across town:**

Cordy and Doyle were sitting at the bar in a seedy little place in Hollywood.

"Well, this is working out nicely," Cordelia snapped, her brows drawing down into an unattractive scowl. "Buffy just blows into town and suddenly I'm out of a job! Damn Willow—why couldn't she mind her own business. Doesn't she care how this might affect the rest of us?"

Doyle rolled his eyes at that narcissistic statement. "Hey! It's not just about you-ya know?"

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Oh puh-lease…who are _you _kidding? You're happy this happened!"

Doyle shrugged, unable to deny that. But that hadn't been what he meant and he said so."Hey, I'm glad for Angel. You should be too. He loves the girl and after everything they've been through—they deserve to be happy if ya ask me. I'm glad Buffy's witchy friend helped them out and if that means I'm off the hook with the Powers too—well all the better!"

"Oh they're happy alright…" Cordelia muttered with another frown. "Did you _hear_ all the happy going on downstairs when we got back?" She made a face. "And Angel...he's like a teenager, all giddy and running off to get her ice cream and peanut butter! What is he thinking?"

"That maybe she might get hungry?" Doyle deadpanned.

She glared, not amused with his attempt at levity. "I don't know if I'll ever get over it! It was like one big icky disgusting love fest going on today. Ugh," she groaned making a face, "I think I need my ears washed out with soap…or maybe a really good brain scrubbing." She rubbed her temples. "If Buffy stays I'm making Angel buy me earplugs!"

Doyle ignored her dramatics and took a sip of his drink. "Look, they haven't been able to be together without the fear of his curse before—it's to be expected. After some time…it—"

"It'll what? Fade?" She snorted. "I doubt it, but dream on, little Irish Man."

"Even if it doesn't can't ya just be happy for them? Don't ya think they've earned the right to be with one another after all the sufferin' they've done?"

Cordy actually paused and her face lost some of its indignation. She sighed. "You're right, I know you're right, but still…can't they at least get us some ear plugs so we don't have to suffer permanent damage for their…" she air-quoted, "perfect-happiness."

He just rolled his eyes and ordered another drink. A few minutes later Cordy put her head down on the bar and whined. "Oh God, what am I going to do? I'm good for exactly two things…International Superstardom, or helping a vampire with a soul to rid the world of evil." She frowned, "That makes for a short…but colorful resume."

"Why're you getting all worked up for anyway…he hasn't fired ya."

"But what if he—?"

Doyle cut her off. "Everything will work out Princess, trust me." He picked up his shot and saluted her with it. "Hey, at least it looks like I'm finally free to go out and make me own mark in the world."

Cordy's lip curled, "We had a cat that used to do that," she gibed.

Doyle ignored that comment. He tipped his head, shooting back his whiskey in one gulp. "Mm, nothing like a shot of Jameson's…" He set the glass on the bar, "now _that's_ perfect!" he said, signaling for another. "Well, what ever happens from here on out, at least I'll be able to say good-bye to them bone-crushing, head-wrenching, mind-numbing visions."

He'd barely finished his sentence when it hit him. In a flash his head flew forward and hit the bar with a *bang*. He groaned, twitching as he pressed his hand against his forehead, flashes of soldiers, screams and a demon going through his head. It was big-green and half human—half machine. The visions of battles and death flickered painfully across his mind like a badly made movie. He saw Spike strapped to a table and a blond woman dressed as a doctor. All of it came and went so fast, Doyle had a hard time keeping track of it because it was so vague and scattered, but there were a few things he did know for sure. One was this demon was big, ugly and a threat. Two; his vision wasn't just for Angel, because the third and final thing he was certain of was that this green 'Frankenstein' thing wasn't in L.A. It was in Sunnydale.

"What'd you see?" Cordelia asked, leaning forward in her seat.

His eyes snapped open and he groaned as the throbbing agony of the vision slowly receded. "Well, I'll be damned," he muttered, "looks like I'm not off the hook after all."

Cordy barely acknowledged his wincing expression as she waved a hand, dismissing his pain. "Great, but what did you see? Does it look like Angel can't just run off with Slay-gal after all, or what?"

Doyle shot her an irritated glance as he fished out a bottle of aspirin from his jacket pocket. "I'm fine, Princess. Really, don't make an issue about it or anything," he muttered, shaking a couple into the palm of his hand.

Suitably chastened, Cordy back-pedaled. "Doyle, you know I didn't mean it like that." He popped the pills in his mouth and washed them down with the rest of his drink. Cordy handed him a napkin with some ice in it. "I'm sorry," she said softly when he accepted her peace offering. He put the ice to his head, wincing again and Cordy waited for him to tell her what he saw. She lasted all of ten seconds before her lack of patience kicked in again. "So…what did you see? Does your vision mean Angel has to stay in L.A.?"

Doyle set the napkin down and got up from his seat. "Nope…" he said, tossing several bills on the bar. "It means Angel's gotta go to Sunnydale."

Cordelia froze, her expression stating clearly that she was waiting for him to say he was kidding, but when he just stood there, nervous and edgy to leave, her eyes widened. "You can't be serious!"

"That brain-melt wasn't a joke," he said, wincing again.

"But-but…Sunnydale? Why?"

Doyle grinned suddenly. "Hey, it could be worse, Princess…"

She shot him a quelling look. "Oh really? How?"

"I could've had a vision of you working for Buffy, instead of Angel," he said with a grin. "Imagine that little scenario will ya?"

Cordelia was not amused. "Ha-ha! _Not _funny and never gonna happen," she bit out, grabbing her purse and hopping up from her seat. The ex-cheerleader followed Doyle as he headed for the exit. Her mind in turmoil as the repercussions of Doyle's vision hit her. "Great!" she muttered under her breath, "so now he's having visions for Buffy too! Oh God, please don't tell me I'm going to have to go back to Sunnyhell too!"

Cordy mentally shuddered at even the thought, but then a worse one hit her. What if Buffy didn't want her help? What then? She grabbed hold of Doyle's arm, stopping him dead in his tracks. Her nails dug into his flesh as a sudden feeling of insecurity wormed its way inside her chest. "What am I going to do, Doyle? This job…it makes me feel important. Like I'm doing something good for once in my life," she paused and took a deep breath, "and I-I really don't want to lose that," she finished very quietly.

Doyle eased her death-grip off his arm before using a finger to tip her chin up. "Hey, don't worry, Princess," he reassured. "You're a part of our team. Where we go—you go."

Cordy wanted to wave off his concern. She wanted to tell him she'd rather die than go back to Sunnydale, but she also desperately wanted to hear that she was still needed. He gave her that charming Irish grin of his and her heart fluttered a bit. "You mean that?"

He winked. "I do. It just wouldn't be the same without ya!"

In that instant Cordy realized that while Doyle may not be what she'd thought she wanted in a man. He was crass, badly dressed and he definitely drank too much. He was a fixer upper-which she swore she'd never do again, _but_…he was a good man. A brave man and she found she desperately wanted that in her life. Cordelia squared her shoulders, once again taking on the mantle of 'Queen-C'. She leveled her dark eyes on Doyle and lifted her chin. "Damn right it wouldn't! If you're going to the Hell-Mouth…you're _so_ gonna need me," she stated as if she hadn't just been feeling totally un-needed.

She sounded as arrogant as ever, but the tiny little smile she sent his way belied all that hype. In a flash Doyle saw behind the façade and realized Cordelia was giving him the shot he'd been dying for. He'd been crushing over her ever since he'd laid eyes on the girl, but he hadn't believed he'd ever had a snowballs' chance in hell of getting with her. Yet here_ he_ was—and here_ she_ was, holding onto _his_ arm like _he_ was some kind of hero…

Doyle's chest swelled and he puffed up like a peacock as he held his arm out for her. Cordy took it and as he escorted her out of the bar—there was a definite strut in the Irish half demon's step.

"Things are finally looking up…" he said to her as they walked outside and into the sunshine.

Angel had his Slayer and the dark vampire could finally be happy. _He_ was getting visions for Buffy now, so that had to mean that the Powers had accepted her place in Angel's life. And—Doyle's smile widened until it beamed—_he_ finally had a shot with his Princess.

Yep…things were definitely looking up…for all of them.

**B/A****B/A****B/A*****B/A*****B/A****B/A**

**Back at Angel's apartment:**

Angel reclined against his headboard with Buffy sprawled across his chest. They'd made love so often and in so many (creative) way that Buffy was sure they'd tested the spell every-which-way-but-loose! Nothing had happened and it had held. Hours and hours later...Angel was still Angel and Buffy was smiling brilliantly as she cuddled her head against his muscled chest.

"I told you…" she murmured, throwing her arm over his stomach, "it's all of the good. You're still you and I'm…"

"You're what?" he asked, looking down at her with a smirk.

"I'm pleasantly numb…" she said, giving him that 'Colgate' smile of hers. "I'm ecstatically happy and so thoroughly perfect—it defies the simple term 'perfect-happiness'." She squeezed him for good measure-just to let him know how happy she was.

He chuckled huskily. "Well, I felt it—perfect happiness—that is." His smile turned lewd, "several times as a matter of fact," he said wriggling his brows at her.

Buffy giggled and slapped his chest playfully. "Yeah, I kind'a felt it too. Especially when you had me upside down..."

He laughed. "I did tell yuo I've studied the Kama-Sutra, right?"

"What does karma have to do with sex?"

He shook his head. "Not-" He stopped. "Never mind." He leaned down to place a kiss on her head. "I love you, Buffy. Every little thing about you...I love."

She sighed happily and snuggled closer. "I'm so glad we didn't logic ourselves out of this," She placed a kiss on his chest. "We'll make it work, right?"

Angel wrapped her more securely in his arms. "We will."

"God, I'm so sleepy…" Buffy yawned, "but I still want…"

"What?" Angel interrupted. He tilted her chin up to look in her eyes. She grinned back at him. "You couldn't possibly—not that I wouldn't…"

Buffy let out a peal of laughter and shook her head. "No, no. I'm spent. Totally and utterly content…but…" Her eyes widened and quick as a hiccup she was out of the bed. Angel gaped at her sudden escape from the snuggly haven of their bed until it dawned on his male brain that she was very-very naked. His eyes narrowed, the predator in him arose and he licked his lips as he watched her with hungry eyes while she moved across the room.

He swallowed thickly and lust flooded his senses. Buffy moved with the lithe grace of a jungle cat. It wasn't even intentional…it was just instinct. She bent over, giving him a view that made his dick stand up and take notice of how sexy her rear end was. He licked his lips again as he thought of all the things he wanted to do that hot little body of hers.

He growled and she glanced at him over her shoulder. "What?"

He shook his head. Caught! "Nothing…" he mumbled, but she knew he was excited. His eyes were glowing and the way she wriggled her bottom at him let him know she knew what he was thinking. He growled again. "Buffy…I think I'm more than ready to uh…give you what we were talking about earlier…"

She got what she was searching for out of her purse and crawled back up the bed, a small velvet bag in her hand. "I bet," she teased, straddling him—just under his obvious erection. "Does it have anything to do with your…um…" she glanced down at his lap where the blanket was tented, "problem?"

He buried a hand in her hair. "It's your fault…you're irresistible."

Buffy gave him a brilliant smile. "I like the sound of that, but your uh…problem is going to have to wait until I give you something."

He glanced from her face to his (massive) problem. He frowned. "I guess…" he sighed, but it was obvious he was just a jutting lip away from a full blown pout.

Buffy laughed. "Oh please…you're a vampire. Pain and suffering—you like that, right?"

He made a face and looked down at his lap. "But it hurts...I want you."

"Well…I want you too, but I want to give you this more," she said opening up the bag and emptying the contents into her hand .

He looked down at what she held and his eyes widened when he saw not only his ring (the one he thought he'd lost a few weeks back) but hers too! He reached for her much smaller Claddagh ring, stunned to see it back in perfect condition. "Where…?"

"It was in the mansion. After you came back," she told him softly.

"I know. I remember…but how is it back and like this?"

"Willow. She fixed it like she fixed us."

Angel swallowed hard, raising his eyes, he blinked rapidly when he saw the tears in her eyes. "Buffy…"

"I know." She took his left hand in hers. "This ring is a sign of devotion and…" She raised a brow at him, "a_ commitment_ between two people who love each other."

Angel gulped as he realized she knew the full meaning of the Claddagh. "Buffy, I—"

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Let me finish," she whispered, holding onto his hand with one hand and his ring in the other. She held the ring up so that he could see the design. "It represents friendship, loyalty and love." She slid it on his 'ring' finger. "If you wear it like this…" They both looked down at the ring; the heart was pointed at Angel. "It means you belong to someone," she told him softly.

Angel's throat closed up and he had to blink rapidly or else he might just cry like the big fluffy puppy Spike was always accusing him of being! She handed him her ring and held out her left hand in a blatant invitation. Angel's smile was charmingly bright. He took the ring and her hand. "The last time I gave you this…I was leaving you," he said quietly. "This time when I give you this ring, I'm making you a promise to never leave you again, Buffy." He slipped her ring on and brought her hand to his lips. "I love you."

Tears streaked down Buffy's cheeks and she brought his hand up to her mouth. She kissed his ring. "Forever…" she whispered.

Nodding, Angel wiped her tears away with his thumb. "Forever…" he agreed.

Hands clasped, they kissed, sealing the union that had started so long ago on a dark night, in a dark alley in Sunnydale…little did they know that when she put her foot in his chest and asked him "Why was he following her?" that it would be the beginning of a love affair that would change not only their lives forever, but the lives of every single person who heard the story of the vampire with a soul falling in love with the Slayer.

**Life isn't about taking your last breath. It's about the moments that take your breath away and that's how Buffy and Angel loved-breathlessly!**

The End.

**Okay guys...I hope the ending was worth the wait. I know this was longer than I anticipated, but I wanted to add the ring part at the end...I'm thinking about adding an epilogue. Let me (musie) know if you'd be interested in it. You know waht a needy little thing she is! lol! Now be kind and feed the little beast so she'll feed the spark in me. **

**Have a great day everyone...**

**Jen**


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